The Role and Authority of Abbot Monks in Southern Theravada Buddhist Temples in Reviving the Sen Dolta Festival of the Khmer People in Southeast Vietnam

Abstract

Sen Dolta is one of the quintessential traditional festivals of the Khmer people in Southeast Vietnam as well as the Mekong Delta – Southwest Vietnam. The festival reflects many distinctive features: from customs, beliefs, to various forms of art, and even the communal relationships of the Khmer people. After a period of interruption due to wars and unrest, the festival has been restored in recent years. However, due to the unique natural conditions, historical and social circumstances, alongside similarities, the Sen Dolta festival of the Khmer in Southeast Vietnam has transformed and developed distinct cultural characteristics compared to the Khmer in other regions. Based on Max Weber's theoretical perspective on power and combined with ethnographic fieldwork methods, this article presents the unique cultural features of the Sen Dolta festival of the Khmer in Southeast Vietnam. It also analyzes and explains the factors influencing the transformation of the festival, particularly focusing on the role and authority of the abbot monks in Theravada Buddhist temples in reviving the traditional festival of the Khmer in contemporary Southeast Vietnam.