VI
EN
At noon on June 10th (the 5th day of the 5th lunar month), thousands of people from Binh Dinh province and other areas gathered in Quy Nhon city to swim in the sea, hoping for good fortune for their families. The crescent-shaped Quy Nhon beach, stretching 5 km from Tan Cape to the Ghenh Rang area, was crowded, unlike on normal afternoons.
Parking lots along the Quy Nhon beach are currently overloaded as a large number of people from surrounding areas flock to Quy Nhon city to swim in the sea. Despite having to travel dozens of kilometers, many families still bring their children to swim in the sea even in the scorching midday sun.
Thousands of people flocked to Quy Nhon beach to bathe during the Dragon Boat Festival.
People in Binh Dinh province flocked to the beach to swim at midday during the Dragon Boat Festival.
Crowds flock to the beach to wash away bad luck.
Besides bathing in the sea for good luck, people also take advantage of the opportunity to have fun on the beach. Many families also bring cans and bottles of seawater home to bathe the elderly, children, and sick people who cannot go to the beach, hoping to pray for peace and victory over illness. According to traditional beliefs, those who cannot go to the beach will look into a basin of seawater, tilting their heads back to pray for peace.
Not only the people of Binh Dinh, but also tourists from neighboring provinces such as Dak Lak, Gia Lai... or visitors from further afield who happen to visit Binh Dinh during this time also join in the atmosphere of celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival with the locals.
According to people in Binh Dinh province, they have long considered 12 noon on the Dragon Boat Festival (Tet Doan Ngo) as an auspicious and sacred time. After preparing offerings to their ancestors, husbands, wives, and children go to the sea to bathe, hoping to ward off bad luck and pray for good fortune.
According to Eastern medical philosophy, the fire energy (yang) of heaven and earth, and within the human body, reaches its peak on the Dragon Boat Festival. The Dragon Boat Festival, or Duan Yang Festival (the 5th day of the 5th lunar month), is a long-standing traditional festival in Eastern folk culture. "Duan" means beginning, and "Ngo" refers to the time period from 11 am to 1 pm.
