Hoi An Full Moon Festival 2019 – Things You Should Know !

What’s special about Hoi An Full Moon Festival?  something special which local people  usually do on this day ! Let’s see !

All over the world, the lunar activities are closely being watched and used as a guide in life as general. Traditions may change over time due to technological advancements, science, culture and religion but this is not the case to most. In Asia, Full Moon is continuously being celebrated for more than 20,000 years now. This article discusses all the things you should know about Hoi An Full Moon Festival 2019.

Full Moon Festival is being held every 15th day of the lunar month. During this time, the moon becomes prettier as it appears to be larger and brighter which attracts more people to go out and appreciate it beauty. In Hoi An Vietnam, there are three main reasons why full moon is being celebrated.

Reasons why Hoi An Full Moon Festival is being observed

Thanksgiving

Hoi An celebrates Full Moon Festival regularly to give thanks to ancestors and gods for an abundant harvest, good health and harmonious relationship among family, friends and community in general.

Praying on Full Moon 

Locals also takes advantage of the Full Moon Festival to pray to gods and ancestors for good health, fortune, beauty and other things to satisfy their material and spiritual needs and wants.

Closer Family Ties

It is believed that the festival’s main purpose is for families to come together and bond. This has been true over the years, families who celebrate Hoi An Full Moon Festival gather and spend more time with their spouse and children.

Tradition during Hoi An Full Moon Festival

Food

During Hoi An Full Moon Festival, expect locals to observe it by eating only vegan food. This is due to the Vietnamese customs and traditions are largely influenced by widely followed religion, Buddhism.

Drink

Observed mostly by elders, locals drink plain water only during the day of Hoi An Full Moon Festival. It is not clear why this is being observed but it is believed that observers will need to be “clean” to be able to petition and prayers will be more likely to be heard by the gods and their ancestors.

Lantern lighting

Probably the most exciting and beautiful part of the Hoi An Full Moon Festival is the lantern lighting. Locals turn off electric lights and lit traditional lanterns brightly in front of their houses, stores, towers, pagodas and on the street all over Hoi An Old Town, giving a wonderful and magical vibe. Some local and foreigners participate by lighting a water lantern on the river.

Lion Dance

In Asia, the dragon and lion dances are common during special occassions. Vietnam has both dragon and lion as well though the lion looks differently. Vietnamese lion has a horn in the middle, thus, people called it unicorn. Lion or Unicorn dance is being performed primarily for Full Moon Festivals. Locals believe that when this mythological creature appears, people will have prosperity, happiness and peace. In Hoi An, visitors can join the locals at the Japanese Covered Bridge to enjoy both the lantern lighting and lion dance.

Dates of Hoi An Full Moon Festival 2019

Tet Nguyen Tieu or the First Full Moon of the Lunar New Year is the most special among the Hoi An Full Moon Festivals throughout the year. During the First Full Moon, Vietnamese go to pagodas and pray for good luck and serenity for the whole year.

Now that you have read all the things you should know about Hoi An Full Moon Festival 2019, you can now properly plan your trip and explore this stunningly well-preserved Hoi An Ancient Town.