Religious Events

Special prayers are held at Vietnamese and Chinese pagodas on days when there is a full moon. Some of the major religious festivals follow a lunar calendar.

They include: Tet (late Jan-early Feb), the most important festival of the year, marking the new lunar year as well as the advent of spring; Wandering Souls Day (August), the second-largest festival of the year, when offerings of food and gifts are given to the wandering souls of the forgotten dead: Doan Ngu (June), when human effigies are burnt, becoming soldiers in the god of death’s army and Holiday of the Dead (April), which commemorates deceased relatives. In the South, many Christian churches are open for services.