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Festivals in April
Provinces:
Bac Giang,
Bac Ninh,
Khanh Hoa,
Lai Chau,
Ha Nam,
Hanoi,
Ha Tay,
Quang Binh,
Quang Nam,
Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City),
Soc Trang,
Thai Binh,
Tien Giang
See
Vietnam lunar calendar
Tet Han Thuc (Cold goods Tet)
Time: 3rd day of the third lunar month.
Location: Almost the regions of the Viet.
Activities: Offering glutinous rice flour cakes stuffed
with plum of brown sugar (banh troi), glutinous rice
flour cakes stuffed with green bean paste (banh chay) to
worship ancestors, an occasion for people to visit and
tidy the burial graves of relatives, having fun in
spring.
Chol Chnam Thmay Festival
Time: From the 1st to the 3rd day of Chet month
(according to Buddhist calendar, equivalent to the 12th
to 15th day of April by solar calendar).
Objects of worship: Welcoming the God of the New Year,
Buddha and ancestors.
Activities: The traditional Tet (New Year) of the Khmer
community, seeing the old year off and welcoming the New
Year.
Participator: The Khmer people in the southern
provinces.
Khmer people’s new year festival lasts three days and
four days in leap years. Each of these days has its own
name. Apart from worshipping the Buddha, Khmer people
believe that every year the heaven sends a god called
Tevoda to the earth to look after human beings and their
life. At the end of the year, the god returns to heaven
and another one will replace him. Therefore, in the new
year’s eve, every family prepares a party, burns incense
and lights up lamps in a ceremony to see off the old
Tedova and greet the new one. They also pray to this god
for good luck.
Khmer people always prepare for the new year ceremony
very carefully. They clean and redecorate their house
and buy necessary food for the holidays. They stop all
farm work, relax and set free their cattle. The three
official festival days are held in a joyful and exciting
way.
The first day is for the ceremony to receive the great
calendar. Moha Sang-Kran is considered a calendar which
gives a detailed account of dates and festivals in a
year and a forecast of rainfall so the villagers can
foresee if they get a good or bad crop that year. On
this day, at a selected hour no matter it is in the
morning or afternoon, people take a bath and put on
their best clothes in anticipation of the new year. They
take incense, lamps, flowers and fruits to a pagoda
where they do the great calendar-receiving ceremony. At
the pagoda, Moha Sang-Kran, put on a red-lacquered,
gilded tray, is placed on a palanquin and carried three
times round the main sanctuary. This rite is to welcome
the new year and wait for omens for a bad or good new
year. Then the official ceremony is carried out inside
the sanctuary. After that, every participant prays to
the Buddha and chant prayers for a happy new year. Young
males and females walk out to the pagoda yard and join
in fun activities until late at night.
The second day is for the ceremony to offer boiled rice
and heap up a sandy mountain. On this day, every Khmer
family cooks rice and offers it to Buddhist monks at the
pagoda in early morning and at noon. The monks chant
prayers to thank those who make the food and bring it to
their pagoda and say good luck to them.
On the afternoon the same day, people start to heap up a
sandy mountain in search of happiness and luck. They
make small mountains looking to eight directions and one
in the middle which represent the universe. This custom
originates from an age-old legend. It displays people’s
aspirations for rain.
The third day is for the ceremony to wash the Buddha’s
statue and Buddhist monks. After giving boiled rice to
the monks in the morning, they continue to listen to
Buddhist teachings. In the afternoon, they burn incense,
offer sacrifices and use scented water to wash the
statue in order to pay tribute and gratitude to the
Buddha. This is also to get rid of the old year’s
misfortunes and wish all the best for the new year. The
monks do a ceremony to pray for peace in the dead’s
souls. After that, the people return to their house and
wash the Buddha’s statue at home. They offer dishes,
confectionery and fruits to ask for happiness for their
parents and grandparents and being forgiven for their
mistakes made in the old year.
During these three days, Khmer people go to visit each
other and wish good health, good luck and prosperity to
each other. They also join in fun activities.
Chol Chnam Thmay festival shows Khmer people’s
aspirations, like many others ethnic groups, to forget
about the old year’s misfortunes and look for a better
new year.
Traditional
festivals in Lai Chau province:
Catching Fish Festival of the Khang
Time: The 5th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Than Uyen District, Lai Chau Province.
Activities: Catching fish by hands in collective,
offering fish, fish dishes, giao duyen singing and
dancing.
Traditional
festivals in Bac Giang province:
Bo Pagoda Festival
Time: the 28th day of the second lunar month.
Location: Thuong Lan Commune, Viet Yen District, Bac
Giang Province.
Objects of worship: The ancestral bonze, who had merit
of building the pagoda.
Activities: Commemorating the anniversary of the
ancestral bonze's death.
Traditional
festivals in Bac Ninh province:
Dau Festival
Time: 18thday of the third lunar month.
Location: Mo Dao Commune, Que Vo District, Bac Ninh
Province.
Objects of worship: Mr. Binh, a general of the 18th Hung
King.
Activities: Big procession, kite flying contest.
Do Temple Festival
Time: From the 14th to the 16th day of the third lunar
month. The main festival day is on the 15th day of the
third lunar month.
Location: Dinh Bang Village, Dinh Bang Commune, Tu Son
District, Bac Ninh Province.
Objects of worship: Eight kings of the Ly Dynasty.
Activities: The procession of palanquin from Dan Pagoda
(Co Phap) to the temple, barbecued buffalo used as
sacrifices - offering.
The festival takes Location from the 14th to the 16th
days of the third lunar month. Legend has it that the
15th day of the third lunar month was the coronation of
King Ly Cong Uan. Later generations chose the day as a
common festival to pay homage to kings of the Ly
Dynasty.
According to customs in Dinh Bang Village, a chief
officiant appointed to administer the festival. The
person then presents himself to the genie in a set of
solemn rituals and votive offerings including a drum, a
platter of betel, and a small bottle of wine.
Residential groups, mass organizations and local
authorities administer the festival. Pieces of work are
assigned according to ages and kinds of person. On
festival days, they have to fulfill their assigned
tasks.
On the 14th, preparatory work finishes. Those appointed
for such posts as the King's bodyguards (the tuong),
flag holders or palanquin carriers have prepared their
costumes and equipment. Others have to clean the road,
pagoda and temple.
The palanquin procession takes Location on the afternoon
of the 14th day, starting from Do Temple to Dan Pagoda,
where prayers will be read. This ritual aims to take
kings Ly to the Location where the founder of the
dynasty was born and grew up and pay gratitude to those
who brought him up and gods and Buddhist spirits at the
pagoda. After that, the king’s mother is taken to the
temple for the coronation.
On the early morning of the 15th day, the procession
returns from Dan Pagoda. By then, it is accompanied by
another palanquin and altar representing the king’s
mother. On the way, the procession drops at Dinh Bang
Communal House. The festival manager enters the house to
do presentation rituals in front of the village’s
tutelary god. After that the procession continues on its
way back to the temple.
When the procession arrives at the temple yard,
dragon-dancing starts, followed by senh tien castanets
dancing. Next, three men in the role of the king’s
bodyguards, enter the dragon yard. The two palanquins
are located alongside the yard: the one carrying the
king’s mother on the right and the other carrying the
king on the left. The chief officiant steps into the
main sanctuary and reads King Ly Thai To’s edict on the
movement of the capital to Thang Long. After that, he
puts the document on the main altar. Then he starts the
incense offering and festival inauguration rituals.
Others follow him to do the incense offering.
On each of the 15th and 16th, there is a ceremony
solemnly held with votive offerings.
There are a lot of fun games during the festival: cock
fighting, chess playing, and cheo and tuong
performances. Fun activities take Location in the temple
yard, pond, and other Locations in the region,
attracting a lot of visitors from elsewhere.
Quang Lam Village Festival
Time: 5th to the 12th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Han Quang Commune, Que Vo District, Bac Ninh
Province.
Objects of worship: The village's tutelary god.
Activities: The village's tutelary god worshipping
ceremony in the morning, and in the afternoon small
group of female singers sing worshipping genie songs at
the communal house, boys and girls sing giao duyen
songs.
Traditional
festivals in Ninh Binh province:
Truong Yen Festival
Time: From the 9th to the 11th day of the third lunar
month, the main festival day is on the 10th day of the
third lunar month.
Objects of worship: King Dinh Tien Hoang and King Le Dai
Hanh.
Location: Truong Yen Commune, Hoa Lu District, Ninh Binh
Province.
Activities: The procession of water, Chinese character
forming.
The two most solemn rituals of the festival are the
water procession and sacrifices - offering ceremony.
The sacrifices - offering ceremonies take Location at
midnight in Dinh and Le temples at the same time. The
funeral oration is divided into nine parts praising the
contributions of the two kings. It is expressed in a
lively tru (a traditional type of singing) melody. As
soon as it finishes, the boat carrying water arrives.
Pilgrims take turns in presenting incense sticks to pay
tribute to the kings and visit ancient sculptural and
architectural items.
Visitors can participate in many folk games, cultural,
tourist and sports activities such as wrestling, boat
racing, swings, chau van (a traditional type of music)
singing, poem critique, poem writing, Chinese character
forming, stick dancing, dragon dancing, unicorn dancing,
or human chess.
The most special about the Truong Yen Festival is a game
called " maneuver game with reed flag", which replays
the childhood of Dinh Bo Linh as a buffalo boy in Truong
Yen.
Coming to the festival is an opportunity for visitors to
visit the ancient capital of the Dinh and Le courts,
which mark the glorious period of unifying and
establishing the country after suffering more than a
thousand years under Northern Domination.
Traditional
festivals in Hai Phong City:
Ha Doi Festival (Coupling Festival)
Time: 15th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Ha Doi Village (Tien Thanh Commune) and Cam Khe
Village (Toan Thang Commune), Tien Lang District, Hai
Phong City.
Activities: Making sacrifice to the village's tutelary
god, "going to the field" ceremony.
Nhu Thuong Communal House Festival
Time: 6th to 8th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Quoc Tuan Commune, An Duong District, Hai
Phong City.
Objects of worship: Mai Thi Cau, Mai Ky Son, two
siblings (children of King Mai Hac De).
Activities: Wrestling, duck catching contest.
Thuong Doan Temple Festival
Time: the 1st to the 15th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Hai Phong City.
Objects of worship: Princess Lieu Hanh, Buddha.
Activities: Ca Tru singing and water puppetry show.
Traditional
festivals in Ha Tay province:
Ba Giang Kite Flying Festival
Time: 15th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Hong Ha Commune, Dan Phuong District, Ha Tay
Province.
Objects of worship: Sir Nguyen Ca, deputy general of
King Dinh Tien Hoang.
Activities: Kite flying contest, banh day procession,
rice cooking contest.
Binh Da Festival
Time: 2nd to the 6th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Binh Minh Commune, Thanh Oai District, Ha Tay
Province.
Objects of worship: Lac Long Quan, Au Co, Linh Lang.
Activities: Returning procession, a procession of "bánh
vía" and floating it to Long cung (Water Palace),
fire-works contest, cock fighting, chess playing.
Gia Festival
Time: 10th to the 26th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Gia Village, Yen So Commune, Hoai Duc
District, Ha Tay Province.
Objects of worship: Ly Phuc Man, the general of Ly Nam
De Dynasty.
Activities: Making sacrifice to the saint, performed the
going-to-the-war ceremony of general Ly Phuc Man. It
involves the game of wrestling, Chinese chess, swinging.
Hat Mon Temple Festival
Time: From the 4th to the 7th day of the third lunar
month, the 4th day of the ninth lunar month, the 24th
day of the twelfth lunar month. The main festival day
is on the 6th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Hat Mon Hamlet, Hat Mon Commune, Phuc Tho
District, Ha Tay Province.
Objects of worship: Hai Ba Trung.
Activities: Three festivals in a year, custom of
offering banh troi ceremony, floating troi cakes on the
river at the night of the 5th day of the third lunar
month.
Hat Mon Commune, where Day River is running through and
was Location Hai Ba Trung drowned herself at the
section. Hat Mon Temple Festival opens on the Vua Ba's
death anniversary.
- At night of the 5th day of the third lunar month, the
temple is open for people make incense burning, and
sacrifices- offering ceremony. The festival involves the
custom of offering 100 pieces of troi cake in egg-shaped
(also called banh tu ti), then put 49 pieces of troi
cake inside 49 lotus and float them on the section of
Day River at the midnight of the 5th day. On the 6th day
of the third lunar month, at the temple, the ceremony of
offering banh troi to Hai Ba Trung takes Location, after
that the villagers can eat banh troi.
- On the 4th day of the ninth lunar month (the day of
setting up an altar to take the oaths, transmitting the
proclamation of national salvation, offering and
submitting to heaven and earth, "settle obligation
toward the country and avenge home"). It involves
sacrifices - offering ceremony, military spirit games
and drill game.
- On the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month (the
triumphal victory festival). It involves moc duc
ceremony (washing the statue of Hai Ba Trung by taking
water from the middle of Day River). Black painted
palanquins procession consists of two chief officiants,
2 incense-tables, 2 people read chuc van (royal
oration), 2 teams of female soldiers in ordnance...
Khe Hoi Village Festival
Time: 14th to the 17th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Ha Hoi Commune, Thuong Tin District, Ha Tay
Province.
Objects of worship: Tutelary god Cao Son.
Activities: Game of water battle on semicircle pond in
the front of the communal house which imitates the tale
of water battles on Bach Dang River of Tran Hung Dao
fighting Yuan-Mongol invaders and Ngo Quyen fighting Nam
Han aggressors, duck catching contest.
Lien Bat Village Festival
Time: 15th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Lien Bat Commune, Ung Hoa District, Ha Tay
Province.
Objects of worship: The first saint (Dang Si), the
second saint (Dang Xa), the third saint (Dang Lang).
Activities: Palanquin procession, procession to give
prominence to spirit of fondness for learning and the
treasure cultural knowledge.
Mother of Linh Lang Temple Festival
Time:14th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Bong Lai Village, Hong Ha Commune, Dan Phuong
District, Ha Tay Province.
Objects of worship: Lady Cao Nuong, Linh Lang's Mother
is the Holy Mother, the village's tutelary god, was
conferred "Thuong dang than" (first class deity).
Thay Pagoda Festival
Time: From the 5th to the 7th day of the third lunar
month, main festival day on the 7th day of the third
lunar month.
Location: Thay Pagoda (Thien Phuc tu), Sai Son Commune,
Quoc Oai District, Ha Tay Province.
Objects of worship: Buddhist monk Tu Dao Hanh - founding
father of the water puppetry in Vietnam.
Activities: The procession of the worshipping tablet,
water puppetry and so on.
Tu Dao Hanh was a Buddhist monk in the Ly Dynasty. He
had outstanding merits regarding the popularization of
the religion, the treatment of diseases for people and
the creation of many games original to Vietnam,
including water puppetry. The Thay Pagoda Festival is
held on the seventh day of the third lunar month in
remembrance of his merits.
Several days prior to the festival, Buddhist followers
and pilgrims far and near flock to the pagoda, further
adding to the boisterous atmosphere of the festival. The
Pagoda is cleaned and incenses, candles lit, bringing
about a charming scene.
The statue bathing ritual takes Location before the
opening of the festival. Buddhist monks and the people
participate in the ritual. Pieces of red cloth are used
to clean the statues. Those standing around solemnly
hold their hands in front of their chests, whispering
Buddhist sutras. When the ritual ends, the used water,
the holy water the Buddha bestows, will be scattered all
over the pagoda in a wish for bumper crops and
prosperous life. The cloths are also torn into smaller
pieces to divide among the people as they are thought to
have the power of warding off the evils. The rite of
cleaning objects of worship comes after this statue
bathing ritual.
The procession of Tu Dao Hanh’s worshipping tablet takes
Location on the 7th day of the third lunar month, with
the participation of four villages Thuy Khue, Da Phuc,
Sai Khe and Khanh Tan. Covering under a yellow cloth,
the color of the outfits worn by those having
supernatural powers, the tablet is carried by four
representatives from the four villages mentioned above.
Each village carries its own tutelary god’s tablet.
Noteworthy is that in the procession the tablet and
white horse of Da Phuc must go ahead those of the Thuy
Khue. Normally the procession comes to the pagoda at
twilight.
At the pagoda the ritual of presenting offerings to
Buddha is held in a solemn manner to the accompaniment
of musical instruments. The offerings in various kinds
and different colors are out into the altar, looking
impressive in the smoke of incenses and candles. Wearing
fine outfits, holding sticks to which are decorated with
flowers, Buddhist monks chant Buddhist sutras while
dancing to display the journey of mankind in striving
for noble things.
Among fascinating games in Thay Pagoda Festival, water
puppetry stands out. It is performed at the Thuy Dinh
House in Long Tri pond in front of the pagoda. Tu Dao
Hanh is said to be the founder of this artistic
performance.
Going to Thay Pagoda Festival pilgrims have an
opportunity to revere the relics imbued with the
imprints of outstanding monks and men of the past.
Van Vi Village Festival
Time: 9th to 10th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Van Vi Village, Trung Chau Commune, Dan Phuong
District, Ha Tay Province.
Objects of worship: Ha Ba God (sea-god), Lac Long Quan,
Linh Thong, Linh Ung, Vo Due.
Activities: Dragon boat racing, skiff rowing race, cheo
and ca tru singing, lion dance.
Traditional
festivals in Ha Nam province:
Doi Pagoda Festival
Time: 21th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Doi Pagoda, Doi Son Commune, Duy Tien District,
Ha Nam Province.
Objects of worship: Buddha.
Activities: Worshipping Buddha, puppetry,
wrestling, chess playing.
Traditional
festivals in Thai Binh province:
Bo Pagoda Festival
Time: 7th to the 15th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Thai Binh City, Thai Binh Province.
Objects of worship: The two Lady kings (Nhi vi Vua Ba),
Princess Bat Nan (general of Hai Ba Trung), General Tran
Lam.
Activities: Worshipping Buddha, incense offering.
Hai Thon Shrine Festival
Time: 9th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Xuan Hoa Commune, Vu Thu District, Thai Binh
Province.
Objects of worship: Madam Do Thi Khuong (wife of King Ly
Bi), who taught people transplant rice seedlings.
Activities: Procession, worshipping, incense
offering, giao duyen singing.
Hau Trung, Hau Thuong Festival
Time: 25th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Bach Dang Commune, Dong Hung District, Thai Binh
Province.
Objects of worship: Ly Bi and his Queen.
Activities: God procession and making sacrifice to
the god, martial art game: wrestling.
La Van Festival
Time: 20th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Quynh Hong Commune, Quynh Phu District, Thai Binh
Province.
Objects of worship: The Queen of azolla, National Master
Nguyen Minh Khong and the village's tutelary god.
Activities: Water procession, tutelary god
procession, saint procession, performing the traditional
work of growing azolla, wrestling, unicorn dancing,
Chinese chess.
Long Khe Village Festival
Time: 21th day of the third lunar month.
Location: An Khe Commune, Quynh Phu District, Thai Binh
Province.
Objects of worship: Quoc su (national master) Duong
Khong Lo, Thai Uy (high-ranking mandarin) Ly Thuong Kiet.
Activities: Water procession, statue procession,
bat dat dance performed by the team of 32 young girls,
tu linh dance, Chinese character forming, Chinese chess,
kite flying, duck catching, trong quan singing on the
lake.
Phung Cong Village Festival
Time: The 15th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Quynh Hoi Commune, Quynh Phu District, Thai Binh
Province.
Objects of worship: Bui Da and Hoang Soi - two leaders
of peasant insurgent troop in the 18th century.
Activities: Making sacrifices to the tutelary god,
game of Chinese character forming in re - performs the
drill of insurgent troop. It involves the game of
wrestling, martial art, lion dance.
Sao Den Festival
Time: 24th to the 26th day of the third lunar month.
Location: An Lao Village, Song An Commune, Vu Thu District,
Thai Binh Province.
Objects of worship: Du vuong Ngo Tu and Lady Dinh thi
Ngoc Ke, Lady Ngo Thi Ngoc Dao (mother of King Le Thanh
Tong).
Activities: Contests of duck catching, chach (eels)
catching, rice cooking, wrestling, flute-kite flying in
many sizes, cheo performance, and lanterns procession.
Tien La Temple Festival
Time: 16th to the 18th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Doan Hung Commune, Hung Ha District, Thai Binh
Province.
Objects of worship: Bat Nan Vu Thi Thuc, lady general of
Hai Ba Trung.
Activities: Saint procession, procession and
worshipping (female), battle performance, skiff rowing
race, sticks fighting, chess playing.
Traditional
festivals in Hanoi City:
Bac Bien Village Festival
Time: 6th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Ngoc Thuy Commune, Gia Lam District, Hanoi.
Objects of worship: Ly Thuong Kiet, Hai Ba Trung, Dao
Ky.
Activities: Palanquin procession of the
relationship between neighboring villages, carp
releasing.
Dai Yen Village Festival
Time: 14th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Dai Yen Village, Ngoc Ha Ward, Ba Dinh District,
Hanoi.
Objects of worship: Princess Ngoc Hoa.
Activities: Human chess, cock fighting, nightingale
fighting, dang hoa (flower offering) dancing, old tuong
performance.
Due Tu Pagoda Festival
Time: 7th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Dich Vong Ward, Cau Giay District, Hanoi.
Objects of worship: Shaman Dai Dien.
Activities: Row song singing (imitating rowing
rhythm) and the song telling story of Madam Thanh De.
Hoa Lang Pagoda Festival
Time: 7th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Cau Giay District, Hanoi.
Objects of worship: Tu Vinh and Tang Thi Loan (Parents
of Tu Dao Hanh).
Activities: Deities fighting ceremony.
Ke Sui Festival
Time: 3rd day of the third lunar month.
Location: Phu Thi Commune, Gia Lam District, Hanoi.
Objects of worship: Queen mother Y Lan (in the temple),
Tay Vi Royal Highest (in the communal house).
Activities: Bong Song custom (in order to clear Y Lan's eunuch Nguyen Bong of a false charge): dance while
drinking alcohol and shouting "Bong Sòng".
Kim Giang Village Festival
Time: the 8th to the 12th day of the second lunar month
and the 1st day of the third lunar month.
Location: Kim Giang Village, Dai Kim Ward, Hoang Mai
District, Hanoi.
Objects of worship: Saint Cao Son, Mao Giap Hoa, Holy
Mother Le Ngai My Chau.
Activities: Cock fighting, duck catching.
Le Mat Village Festival
Time: The 23rd day of the third lunar month.
Location: Le Mat Village, Viet Hung Ward, Long Bien
District, Hanoi.
Objects of worship: The village's tutelary god of Hoang
Family.
Activities: Snake dance.
Le Mat Village opens the festival to commemorate Hoang
Duc Trung who had merit of taking poor people from Le
Mat Village to the capital city to reclaim the wasteland
to set up 13 barracks in the west of Thang Long Citadel
(Ba Dinh District now). The festival involves water
procession from the village well, carp catching, carps
offering to god, feast (offerings) procession of 13
barracks in Ba Dinh District to the village then offer
to god. Snake dance, processions of Ga ong (heavy cock),
Lon ong (fat pig), contest of speciality cooking
includes "Tam xa dai hoi" (3 kinds of snake: copperhead,
krait, coluber), "Ngu ho chau lam" (5 frogs feast) and
"Ly ngu vong nguyet" (big carps feast, feast of making
of raw fish and vegetables).
Le Xa Village Festival
Time: 15th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Le Xa Hamlet, Mai Lam Commune, Dong Anh District,
Hanoi.
Objects of worship: Dao Ky and Phuong Dung (generals of
Hai Ba Trung).
Activities: Procession, sacrifices, plaiting cord
contest, ca trù singing, quan ho singing, duck catching,
and cock fighting.
Nhot Pagoda Festival
Time: 15th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Dong Phu Hamlet, Dong My Commune, Thanh Tri
District, Hanoi.
Objects of worship: Princess Tu Thuc, Princess Tu Hoa.
Activities: Procession of 10 villages.
Phu Dien Communal House Festival
Time: 7th to the 9th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Phu Dien Commune, Tu Liem District, Hanoi.
Objects of worship: Le Dai Hanh, Tran Thong.
Activities: Rod fighting, rope climbing contest,
water puppetry on the river, dragon dancing, wrestling,
ca tru singing, senh tien dancing, blind-man's-buff,
skiff rowing race.
Tam Huyen Pagoda Festival
Time: 6th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Ha Dinh Ward, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi.
Objects of worship: Tu Vinh (father of Zen Buddhist Tu
Dao Hanh).
Activities: Rod fighting (two people), steamed
glutinous rice cooking contest, hand wrestling, cock
fighting.
Tay Ho Temple Festival
Time: From the 3rd to the 7th day of the third lunar
month.
Location: Quang An Ward, Tay Ho District, Hanoi.
Objects of worship: Princess Lieu Hanh - the Holy
Mother.
Activities: A procession, incense offering and van
singing.
Tay Ho Temple was built in the 16th century. This temple
is used to worship Mother Lieu Hanh and do religious
activities about her. She is a woman of exquisite talent
for playing music, singing and writting poem. She was so
kind that was raised as Thanh Mau (Saint Mother). Every
year the festival opens on the 3rd day of the third
lunar month which is her death anniversary. The festival
involves a Mothers' palanquin procession from Tay Ho
Temple, Yen Phu, Co Ngu Streets, along to Quan Thanh
Street then to Hang Dau Street, stop at Nghia Lap Temple
(32 Hang Dau Street) to take votive paper then returns
to Tay Ho Temple.
On the 6th day and the 7th day of the third lunar month,
there writting pose contest, chau van singing, musical
intrument playing and singing at Pho Linh Pagoda (Tay Ho
Hamlet), which is attracted many people.
Thanh Am Village Festival
Time: 9th to the 11th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Thanh Am Village, Thuong Thanh Commune, Gia Lam
District, Hanoi.
Objects of worship: The first doctoral candidate Nguyen
Binh Khiem, Dao Ky and Princess Phuong Dung.
Activities: Quan ho singing on Duong River.
Thuong Cat Swimming Festival
Time: 10th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Thuong Cat Commune, Tu Liem District, Hanoi.
Objects of worship: Three brothers Quach Lang, Dinh Bach
Nuong, Danh Tinh Nuong, generals of Hai Ba Trung who had
great merits of defeating invaders.
Activities: Boat racing contest, cock fighting,
duck catching, wrestling, rice cooking contest, running
contest.
To Village Festival
Time: 8th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Huu Thanh Oai Village, Thanh Tri District, Hanoi.
Objects of worship: King Le Dai Hanh honored as the
village's tutelary god.
Activities: The offerings to village's tutelary god
must be rice ball and sesame and salt (roasted and
crushed). Contests of hat trong quan, ca tru singing,
skiff rowing race.
Yen My Village Festival
Time: 17th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Yen My Commune, Thanh Tri District, Hanoi.
Objects of worship: The village's tutelary god Cao Son
Royal Highest.
Activities: Traditional games: bird fighting, duck
catching, seesaw playing, pots smashing contest, rice
cooking contest.
Traditional
festivals in Quang Nam province:
Agriculture Genie procession Festival
Time: The 1st day of the third lunar month.
Location: Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province.
Objects of worship: Agriculture Genie.
Activities: The festival is mainly for grazing
buffalo children, a procession and praying the
Agriculture Genie for good weather and a bumper crop.
Traditional
festivals in Quang Binh province:
Ho khoan (Alternate singing between rowers) Festival
Time: the 29th day of the second lunar month.
Location: Le Thuy District, Quang Binh Province.
Activities: Ho khoan song with 9 tunes (mai), each
tune is symbolize a kind of work. At the night of the
festival, alternate singing between boys and girls are
taking Location.
Traditional
festivals in Khanh Hoa province:
Thap Ba - Po Nagar Festival
Time: 20th to the 23rd day of the third lunar month.
Location: Vinh Phuoc Ward, Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa
Province.
Objects of worship: The Goddess of the Region (the Cham).
Activities: Rites: washing statue and clothes
changing, offering dance to Goddess, ghe racing, boi
singing at night.
The Po Nagar Festival is biggest religious festival in
the region, is held at Po Nagar Tower which located on
the hill near the mouth of Cai River, north of Nha Trang
City. The festival is organize to commemorate the Mother
of the Region who according to Cham legends, created the
homeland, maintained race, discoved rice tree, taught
people how to cultivate. The Goddess of the Cham had
become the Goddess of the Vietnamese inhabitants .The
festival involves the singing and dancing to welcome
people, stage performance and many fun games take
Location
joyfully in the front of the main temple.
Traditional
festivals in Tien Giang province:
Nghinh Ong Festival
Time: 9th to the 10th day of the third lunar month.
Location: Ong Nam Hai Tomb (Tomb of Whale), Vam Lang
Commune, Go Cong Dong District, Tien Giang Province.
Objects of worship: Ca Ong (Whale).
Activities: Welcoming ong by decorated boat with
lighting and flower, putting a feast tray on it, then
taking the procession from Vam Lang trench to Xoai Rap
River. The procession has musical playing, singing.
Traditional
festivals in Soc Trang province:
Thac Con long for peace Festival
Time: The middle of the third lunar month.
Location: My Tu District, Soc Trang Province.
Activities: Cau an (long for peace) ceremony of the
Khmer and entertainment.
Traditional
festivals in Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City:
Ba Thien Hau Pagoda Festival ( Ho Chi Minh City)
Time: The 23rd day of the third lunar month.
Location: 710 Nguyen Trai Street, District 5, Ho Chi Minh
City.
Objects of worship: Lady Thien Hau.
Activities: The via Ba (her birthday anniversary)
ceremony is hold at Thien Hau Pagoda, which is one of
the oldest pagodas of the Chinese in Cho Lon. Many
Chinese people come to the festival, they make two
effigies of Ong Thien (Good God) and Ong Ac (Evil God)
with 3m long. At the end of the festival, the effigies
are burned for worshipping.
Phan Cong Hon Temple Festival
Time: The 25th day of the second lunar month.
Location: Ba Diem Commune, Hoc Mon District, Ho Chi Minh
City.
Objects of worship: Phan Cong Hon who led the people of
18 hamlets of Betel Garden in an attack on the residence
of District Chief in 1885.
Activities: The death anniversary is held
resembling the genie worshipping ceremony.
Every year, on the 25th day of the second lunar month,
his kinship and the villagers of Ba Diem Commune
organize the anniversary of his death at the temple as
the genie worshipping ceremony. There are many people
attend the festival to commemorate the hero who
sacrificed his life to help the villagers escape from
repression and arresting, bring honor to the tradition
of 18 hamlets of Betel Garden.
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Source: Vietnam Nation Administration of Tourism |
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