Wandering Souls Day Ho Chi Minh City

Wandering Souls Day Ho Chi Minh City

The Wandering Souls Day is the second largest festival celebrated in Vietnam. On this day special offerings of food and gifts are made to the wandering souls or the souls of the forgotten dead. Though this day is meant to be celebrated on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month it is often celebrated ay any time during the latter half of the month. This day is primarily a Buddhist holiday. However it is celebrated by everyone in Vietnam.

The festival has its origins in the primarily Buddhist belief that every person has two souls; one spiritual or the Hon and the other material or the Via. It is believed that after death, the soul of the individual soul is taken to a tribunal in hell and judged by ten justices. After the Judgment is granted the souls is sent to hell or heaven according to the person’s conduct in earth. Those who are consigned to hell however have one more chance of being redeemed. This chance is the Wandering Souls Day. The sinful souls can be absolved of their sins and gain absolution through the prayers of the living made on the Wandering Souls Day.

During the ceremony offerings of three kinds of meat are made. These include: boiled chicken, roast pork, and crabs; and five kinds of fruits. Other delicacies include sticky rice cakes, vermicelli soup, and meat rolls. These offerings are made to satisfy the appetite of the wandering souls who apparently go hungry the year round.

In Ho Chi Minh City the amazing Tree of Wandering Souls in the Giac Lam Pagoda is a special attraction on this day. Here people pray for their sick relatives by writing the names of their loved ones on slips of paper and then attaching them to the tree.

This festival besides being the biggest festival in Vietnam after Tet is considered very sacred. If you are not just looking for fun and good times and want know more about the Viet culture then a visit to Ho Chi Minh City timed during this season is a very good idea.

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