Ok Om Bok, the Khmer people's annual festival of worshipping the moon, opens today in Tra Vinh City in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Tra Vinh. — VNA/VNS Photo

TRA VINH  (VNS) — Ok Om Bok, the Khmer people's annual festival of worshipping the moon, opens today in Tra Vinh City in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Tra Vinh.

The two-day festival begins with a ngo boat race, a traditional boat of the Khmer shaped like a Naga snake, on the Long Binh River.

Khmer traditional sports, games and cuisine will be featured at the Ao Ba Om Cultural and Tourism Park over two days.

A trade fair showcasing industrial, agricultural and handicraft products from nine cities and districts will be held at the province's Cultural House during the festival.

The event will close with a special performance with singers and dancers from the provincial traditional art troupe at the park on Wednesday.

The Ok Om Bok festival, falling on 15th day of the tenth lunar month, is one of the three main festivals that the Khmer celebrate every year. It is a chance for the Khmer to show their gratitude to the Moon Goddess for giving them a bumper harvest and rich aquatic sources.

In 2014, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognised the Ok Om Bok festival as a national intangible cultural heritage. — VNS