Marine Sports Festival Hoi An

Marine Sports Festival Hoi An Vietnam - Hoi An - Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City - Hue If you thought that the Marine Sports Festival in Hoi An is one of the cultural rather than the religious festivals of the fishing town of Hoi An, then you are quite mistaken. The Marine Sports Festival in Hoi An, on the face of things, appears to be a festival where most of the events are water sports conducted in the river. However, the festival has its religious connotations too. The Marine Sports Festival in Hoi An is celebrated annually in the 4th month according to the Vietnamese lunar calendar, and is celebrated on the final Sunday of the month. True, that the Marine Sports Festival in Hoi An is mostly about traditional water sports; but this cultural event coincides with the ‘Festival of Buddha’s Birthday’, and hence gains in religious significance. The Buddha’s birth day occurs around the 4th moon of the lunar calendar; and more precisely, on the 8th day during this phase of the moon.
The event approximately falls in the month of May according to the Western calendar. The Marine Sports Festival in Hoi An has another significant occasion attached to the festival. The festivities mark the beginning of a new Buddhist year. While the religious rituals include offering of prayers and burning of incense by the followers of the Buddha; the religious events consist of picnics to preach Buddhism and mass prayers interceding for peace and prosperity for both the individual and the country. Cultural events that mark the occasion are, as the name of the festival suggests, boat races and swimming competitions on the Cam An Beach. Aside of these, the locals take the opportunity to showcase traditional folk music, dance, dramas and other cultural and artistic activities