Nearly 1,000 people venerate dead whale in Vietnam

Nearly 1,000 people venerate dead whale in Vietnam

HANOI: Nearly 1,000 people turned out to pay their respects to
a dead whale discovered off the coast of southern Vietnam on
Thursday, a local official said on Friday.

The 25-metre-long whale was found floating dead in the sea
around 500 metres off the coast of Ben Tre province, said Duong
Thi Hien, a local official from the province 100 kilometres south
of Ho Chi Minh City.

In some parts of central and southern Vietnam, whales are
still worshipped as protectors of fishermen. In Vietnamese, the
mammals are called - ca ong - meaning respected elderly fish.
Whales are supposed to be gods for fishermens and bless them
during sea trips.

There have been nearly 1,000 people from the locality and
neighbourhood coming to make offerings of money and incense, said
Hien.

The whale, which is estimated to weigh around 30 tons, will be
buried off the beach for around three months, after which its
bones will be dug up and taken to a temple .

The local official said he did not know the species of whale.
-- DPA