Via Ba Chua Xu Festival, Viet Nam

In An Giang Province in the Mekong Delta, the Ba Chua Xu temple festival is held annually from the 23rd to the 27th of the fourth lunar month. The festival honors a marble statue of a lady (Ba Chua) found at the peak of Mount Sam in the early 1800s; a temple was built for the statue at the mountain’s foot, with the hopes of blessings provided in the years ahead. During the festival, Ba Chua is washed and clothed, then rites performed for the next few days. Other traditional cultural activities are organized and performed on the side. (Vietnam National Authority of Tourism)