Sen Dolta Festival

Every year, on August 29 to September 1 of the lunar calendar, Khmer ethnic people in Tra Vinh jubilantly organize the Sen Dolta ceremony to commemorate the merits of their parents, deceased relatives and relatives. Grateful to our ancestors for exploring the land and blessing Phum and Soc with peace and prosperity. Sen Dolta Festival has long been considered one of the traditional festivals imbued with the cultural identity of the Southern Khmer people, preserved for many generations.

In Khmer, the word "Sen" means offering, while "Dol" means grandmother, "Ta" means grandfather. The Sen Dolta ceremony of the Khmer ethnic group has the meaning of a filial piety ceremony to show respect to the deceased ancestors. This holiday is always carefully prepared by the Khmer people. Normally, each family will send 1 or 2 members to assist the pagoda in preparing for the holiday such as: hanging flags, clearing grass, cleaning the grounds of the ossuary tower, painting the tower... The family also takes the time to clean the house, the altar and prepare many traditional dishes to offer to grandparents and ancestors. Depending on the economic conditions of each family, each person will have a different way of preparing, but the offerings often have in common that they are simple, familiar dishes typical of the Southern Khmer people.

Place of the festival: at a Khmer family. Festival centers at Khmer pagodas and Khmer Phum Socs. Day one: cleaning the house and altar. Offering food to the deceased; Second day: invite the ancestors' souls to the temple to listen to the chanting; Third day: Offer rice to say goodbye to grandparents. Khmer people offer food to the monks, items they use every day to worship their ancestors. Along with the ceremony, folk games, folk songs, arts, Khmer ethnic music and dance are also performed.