The humanitarianism of Chrysanthemum Festival 2020 - Reach out to our beloved Central Vietnam

"..On recognising noble values ​​of Chrysanthemums, Ba Vang Pagoda determined to revive Chrysanthemum Festival in the hope of selectively preserving and promoting the values passed by predecessors, therefore contributing to the traditional cultural richness of the nation. The Festival meets religious and cultural needs of the people in the new era. Besides, the Festival conveys humanitarian morals to everyone, helping build a society full of love and happiness.

Dear Great Assembly! Our beloved Central Vietnam has just experienced heavy storms and floods. Natural disasters have seriously affected the lives of people there, causing great damage to life and property. Many families have fallen into economic and physical exhaustion. Many of them are in desperate need of help. Monks, Nuns, and Buddhists of Ba Vang Pagoda with the loving-kindness of the Buddhas disciples have come to the areas most affected by floods to support them. The Sangha of Ba Vang Pagoda has given people in Quang Binh 430 gifts of 200 million VND and donated 300 million VND to Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee. Chrysanthemum Club of Practising Six Reverent Concords and other Buddhist groups of Ba Vang Pagoda have donated more than 500 million VND to Thua Thien Hue. On the occasion of the Festival, on behalf of the Organizing Committee, Id like to express my sympathy for all the losses and griefs. I wish to send my deep condolences to the victims families as well as to the families of officials and soldiers of army forces - the rescuers who died from floods in the line of duty. We sincerely appeal to domestic and foreign agencies, institutions, organizations, businesses, individuals, philanthropists, Buddhists and citizens to join hands with the Communist Party, the Government and the VFF to do more practically humanitarian and charitable activities, especially to support and assist people in Central Vietnam who are suffering great damage from floods.

Through the Festival, relying on the power of Buddhas, the Organizing Committee pray that Venerables, delegates and people attending the Festival will have peace, the spirits of rescuers laying down and those who died from floods will be reborn in good realms, the country will be peaceful, the world will have no war, all species will live in happiness and liberation."—Thay Thich Truc Thai Minh Here are some pictures captured in "Chrysanthemum Festival 2020 - Reach out to our beloved  Central Vietnam", 25 October 2020 (i.e. the ninth day of the ninth lunar month).