The Goddess Ponagar Festival 2010 opened in Nha Trang City of the central province of Khanh Hoa on May 5 or the 22nd day of the third lunar month, attracting more than 5,000 pilgrims of 100 delegations from surrounding provinces. At the opening ceremony, various traditional dances of Cham people were performed to honour the beauty of the Cham culture.

According to the province’s relic and landscape management centre, the Goddess Ponagar Festival is the biggest religious festival held from the 21st to 25th day of the third lunar month every year to commemorate the Goddess Thien Y A Na – Holy Mother of the Cham community in the central region.

Earlier, the night of May 3, more than 7,000 flower garlands and coloured lanterns carried on 22 boats were released to the Cai River near the foot of the Ponagar Tower to pray for people and soldiers who laid down for the cause of national construction and defence.