Bustling Sene Dolta Festival: Connecting the community, spreading good traditions

These days, in the villages and hamlets in Can Tho city, Khmer people celebrate Sene Dolta with excitement. As one of the good traditions, with deep humanity and education of the Khmer people, Sene Dolta has contributed to the diversity of the culture of the ethnic groups in Vietnam.

Joyful atmosphere in every village and hamlet

When arriving at Po Thi Wone Wong Sa Pagoda (Hamlet 4, Xa Phien Commune), it is easy to feel the joyful and excited atmosphere of the Khmer people clearly shown on each face. The joyful laughter combined with the bustling melody of the traditional pentatonic orchestra made the atmosphere of the Sene Dolta festival more bustling and imbued with national identity.

Mr. Danh Thu (Hamlet 4, Xa Phien Commune) smiled and shared: “This year, ethnic people celebrate Sene Dolta in an exciting atmosphere when the Summer-Autumn rice crop is sold at a stable price; many people have just received support to remove temporary houses, dilapidated houses, and support for livestock breeding to make a living and stabilize their lives. The pagoda associated with the cultural and religious activities of the Khmer people in the area is also being repaired with contributions from local Buddhists, expected to be completed in 3-4 months so that the Khmer people have a more spacious place for community activities. Recently, after the commune merger, I went to do paperwork at the new commune headquarters, the procedure settlement is increasingly reasonable and quick, the commune officials guide the people enthusiastically.”

Khmer people join in chanting prayers for the dead at Pagoda 14,000 (Hamlet 5, Vinh Tuong Commune). (Photo: Hong Thai/VNA)

At the 14,000 pagoda (Hamlet 5, Vinh Tuong commune), during the Sene Dolta festival, people gathered from early morning to perform rituals of offering rice to monks, chanting sutras to pray for grandparents, parents and the deceased, listening to sermons... The dishes were carefully prepared by the people to show their filial piety to grandparents, parents, ancestors, and to demonstrate the morality of "remembering the source of the water you drink".

Offering food to the monks, Ms. Phung Thi Sa Ram (Hamlet 5, Vinh Tuong Commune) said that on Sene Dolta days, she and her family cook the best dishes to show respect to their ancestors, respect to the monks, and to show the connection between the villagers and the pagoda - a place of community activities and a spiritual support for the Khmer people.

According to Mr. Lam Truong Son (Hamlet 5, Vinh Tuong Commune, representative of the Management Board of 14,000 Pagoda), Hamlet 5 has over 100 Khmer households. In recent times, people have been proactive in increasing production and developing the economy, so their lives have been stable; good customs and practices have been preserved. At the annual Sene Dolta Festival, in addition to praying for deceased relatives, Khmer people also pray for heroic martyrs who sacrificed for the country, demonstrating the tradition of remembering the source of drinking water.

Mr. Son hopes that in the coming time, the Party and State will continue to pay attention to taking care of the material and spiritual life of ethnic minorities, creating favorable conditions for ethnic minorities to develop their economy, contributing to the development of the commune.

Promoting identity, strengthening great solidarity

Sene Dolta holidays are sacred moments for descendants to gather, remember the grace of grandparents and ancestors, pray for peace, favorable weather and wind. With that meaning, Sene Dolta has become a good custom and practice of the Khmer people and is constantly preserved and promoted.

Venerable Dao Nhu, Vice President of the Central Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, Head of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in Can Tho City, said that the city's Party Committee and government have paid attention, taken care of, and created conditions for the Khmer people to celebrate Sene Dolta in solidarity, peace, and happiness. The Party and State's guidelines and policies have helped the Khmer people to constantly develop both materially and spiritually.

Sene Dolta is one of the good traditions of the Khmer people. (Photo: Hong Thai/VNA)

“With the spirit of solidarity, innovation, integration and development of this year's Sene Dolta festival, we recognize the sense of responsibility in mobilizing monks and Khmer people to unite, build villages, communes and pagodas to ensure religious and belief activities according to regulations; mobilizing children to study, preserve the language, writing, and good customs and practices of the nation. The monks and Khmer people deeply appreciate the attention of the Party Committee and government and will uphold the spirit of solidarity, make more efforts in studying, producing and working to contribute to building the homeland to be more and more prosperous, civilized and affectionate,” Venerable Dao Nhu shared.

The joyful and warm atmosphere of the Sene Dolta festival also shows the city's concern for the material and spiritual life of the Khmer people; thereby, humanistic and good values in culture and tradition are promoted, contributing to strengthening the great national unity bloc, towards building a civilized and modern city.

Mr. Lam Hoang Mau, Director of the City Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions, said that in an advisory role, the Department has coordinated the implementation of the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development of Ethnic Minority Areas for the 2021-2030 period (Phase I: 2021-2025), with a total capital of nearly VND 1,430 billion.

From this resource, more than 3,300 households were supported to build and repair houses; over 200 infrastructure works were built; more than 3,200 households had clean water for daily use. It is estimated that over 120,600 people directly benefited from the projects and sub-projects of the program.

Ms. Ho Thi Cam Dao, Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Can Tho City, said that in recent times, ethnic minorities, including Khmer people, have trusted the leadership of Party committees at all levels, the direction and administration of the government, and have actively contributed to patriotic emulation movements and socio-economic development in the area.

In the coming time, the city will continue to promptly and effectively implement the Party and State's guidelines, policies and laws on ethnic and religious affairs; effectively deploy national target programs to contribute to improving the material and spiritual life of ethnic minorities, and together with ethnic people to build a city that develops rapidly, sustainably and modernly.

The city strengthens the work of preserving and promoting good traditional cultural values, effectively implementing social security policies, helping ethnic minorities develop production and business, creating stable and sustainable livelihoods.

The city improves the quality of training and fostering human resources for ethnic minorities; maintains political security and social order and safety; consolidates and strengthens the great national unity bloc, and enhances the trust of ethnic minorities in the leadership of the Party and the administration of the State./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/ron-rang-le-sene-dolta-gan-ket-cong-dong-lan-toa-truyen-thong-tot-dep-post1063429.vnp