On the first day, worship is organized in memory of teachers in the village. The day after, a prayer for a quiet life is held according to the rituals of Buddhism. On the third day, there are rituals to request the temple’s exorcising charm, worshipping for the deity and worshipping for good weather, a peaceful life and prosperity. Worship for talented and righteous subjects who were founders of hamlets and built public welfare for villages is held on the fourth day. Finally, the last day is reserved for rituals for the temple itself.

of a National Level Vestige of Landscape with the name of Black Dragon Lagoon. Every year, on 7th lunar January in the exciting atmosphere of spring, people in the local area and from many other places in the province come here for the festival. The festival is of traditional cultural features, organized with many exciting, varied activities such as: boat racing, net – throwing for fishing, basket – boat shaking, swimming, dancing, classical theatre, wrestling… happening in the echoes of many kinds of ethnic musical instruments: drums, bugles, one – stringed musical instrument… The festival also expresses the private features of the inhabitants in Tuy An coastal areas with concepts like: religious beliefs, worshipping the gods in the local area: The Sea God, the Lagoon God, the River God… wishing for all the activities of cultivation, livestock farming, fishing to be successful in a new year. The annual festival only tak

The temple is situated in Hung Dao Commune, Chi Linh District, Hai Duong Province. It is dedicated to Trân Quôc Tuân, the eminent marshal of the Tran Dynasty, who led the Vietnamese people in the three successful resistance wars against the Yuan-Mongolian invaders in the 13th century. Many people have said that he was also a sorcerer and herbalist. Thanks to his great deeds, he was consecrated as Saint Tran.

The magnificent festival is solemnly organized. In the early morning of the 20th day, the on-land processions start off from Van Yen, Duoc Son and Con Son to approach the temple. The procession on the river will be destined for Tran Xa Lagoon, then following the Thuong River to the quay in front of the temple. At the appointed time, all processions will gather correctly in lines at the entrance gate of the temple to carry out the incense-offering rite. The chief officiant delivers a speech to praise the great contributions of Tran Hung Dao and the historical significance of the anti-Yuan-Mongolian resistance wars under the Tran Dynasty. He also gives a funeral oration to Saint Tran Hung Dao. Then, all people will offer incense sticks.

The incense-offering rite is followed by a solemn major ceremony and a palanquin procession. The votive tablet of Saint Tran is placed in a splendid red-lacquered gold-gilded palanquin surrounded by some dragon and lion dancers. The procession moves to the riverbank. In such an imposing environment, the audience can recall a big operation of the Dai Viet heroic army under the leadership of the genius marshal prior to the famous water battle on the Bach Dang River seven centuries ago (1288).

The procession embarks on the boat ornamented with votive flags and flowers. The Saint’s palanquin is transported on a dragon boat. The fleet leaves the quay in the resounding accompaniment of drumbeats, gong and horn sounds, and the admiring acclamation of the audience. When the fleet moors, the procession returns the temple.

One of the most attractive performances in the festival is the race of dozens of boats on the Luc Dau River.

On the afternoon of the 30th of the last lunar month until the 2nd lunar month, tourists from Ho Chi Minh City and other southern provinces go on a pilgrimage to the Lady Den Mountain.Pilgrims and visitors have to climb halfway up of the mountain to enter Saint Linh Son Temple.

This pagoda offers vegetarian meals in exchange for which visitors can make a donation to the pagoda. Visitors can also stay in the pagoda for a few days. The monks are well known for taking excellent care of their visitors. Visitors to this Vietnam landmark can also climb up to the top of the mountain, where a Saint Temple is located. During Spring, people from Vietnam?s southern provinces visit this temple as a ritual; everyone believes that Lady Den Temple can fulfill the intellectual needs of spiritual people

As the festival is hold in the leisure time after harvests, it attracts many visitors everywhere. The festival has long been organized in an extensive space, from Trung temple to Thi pagoda and around Cam Mountain.

The procession arrives at the Temple early in the morning, and people begin to thurify. Then groups of worshippers in colorful dresses carry out the rite of honoring God. Three hours after the rites, people join the traditional games like: tug of war, wrestling, cock fighting, and chess. However, the most distinctive activities in Truc Temple are singing folk songs, dancing and boat racing.

Early morning on the 1st day of the lunar second month, the progression of the Buddha statue and Ly Thuong Kiet statue are carried from the Temple to the village’s Common House. Here, people enjoy folk song and dance during 6 days. On the 7th, the statues are carried back to the temple. Folk song and dance goes on in the next three days. The festival ends on the 10th of the lunar second month.

Legend has it that on the way back to the palace after successfully driving the enemy away, Ly Thuong Kiet rested in the region and taught the people here to sing folk songs and to dance. Since then, in each festival people always sing folk songs and dance to commemorate the hero. This activity takes place on the temple’s yard. There are at least thirty performers who are all beautiful girls at the age of 13 or 15. Those who has married or having mourning are not allowed to take part in the dance. The leader of the dancers is an elderly lady who is a great singer and who can also remember a lot of songs. This woman will direct all the other girls in the dance. The posture of the performers resembles that of a boatman. This activity closely attach to the boat race. The elderly lady is highly admired by the villagers. And the girls always feel honorable to be chosen as the performers. The dance is divided into 30 small parts with more than one thousand lines of verse to be sung.
Beside folk song and dance performing, there are many other kinds of activities taking place, such as Hat Hum (song simultaneously exchanged between several persons). At night, boys and girls gather in groups, exchanging love songs.

Boat race is organized on the 6th of the lunar second month. Only men are allowed to join this game. There are at least 3 boats in the competition. Each group consists of 18 people, dressing in different color. The boat is 8 m long resembling a dragon. The racetrack is 3 km long in Day River. A lot of people come to encourage the competitors. The winner will be awarded with a prize.

The boat race embeds in it a lot of values. It not only promotes the spirit of sports, but it also resembles the march of Ly Thuong Kiet’s army in driving Chiem Thanh enemy out of the border. This activity also reveals the people’s desire to conquer the nature, overcoming the calamities and wishing for good harvests. And the exciting atmosphere of the dancing and the racing also resemble the joyful atmosphere when Ly Thuong Kiet returned home in victory. The festival is a distinctive activity to praise the service of General Ly Thuong Kiet, to show the pride of a land with vivid folk culture and long history.

Dieu Luong commune, Cam Khe district sacrifices the genie on the 4th of lunar January. People take the genie’s tablet to the outside and put it in front of alter. They dig 3 holes, then put the wooden ball into the middle one. Players stand on the two sides of that hole. After the oldest person sings a sentence, players will run towards the middle hole to secure the ball, then bring it to their hole.

Dong Vien village – Dong Phu commune – Cam Khe district also hold the game in the afternoon of the 4th of lunar January. The priest wears a large-sleeved ceremonial robe solemnly takes the ball and puts on the alter, then backs out to the communal house’s yard, on which male players of seven different cycles of twelve years arrange into two or three lines. They all wear long robes. After the first tone of gong and drum, players open the buttons of their robes. After the second tone, they open their robes. After the third tone, the priest will throw the ball and players will begin fighting to secure the ball.

The game is organized under two forms: flight swinging and water wheel swinging. The first is popularly played by the Kinh people across the country while the latter is popular only in villages of ethnic minority groups.

Flight swinging is played in such a way that a girl and a boy standing on the swing with face confronting face. Their hands seize two bamboo bodies put vertically. The two players make greatest efforts to crouch so that the swing can fly as high as possible from this side to the other like a pendulum of a clock.

On the 3rd of lunar March annually, a number of pretty and beautiful girls will be selected to take part in the water-wheel swinging. Those girls are called “fairies” wearing colorful clothing with colorful threads and strips.

Traditional art troupes from around the country will perform various cultural and community programmes at the Vietnamese Cuisine in Hue Style.

The emphasis at the festival will be on open-air culinary and theatre activities, including dance and drama shows, and art exhibitions.

The opening ceremony will be held at the Ngo Mon Square and Dai Noi citadel, while the culinary and cultural shows will go on from morning to late night along the Huong River.

Dozens of culinary experts will be invited to whip up traditional dishes from Hue, Ha Noi, and the southern region.

Hue’s royal foods will be highlighted by top local chefs at Dai Noi.

Farming associations, handicraft villages, and agricultural businesses from all over the country will display ornamental fishes, bonsai trees, and flowers at Ngo Mon.

There will also be exclusive performances of nha nhac music using the two-chord fiddle, three-chord zither, and bamboo flute.

The genre was recognised as a world intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2004.

The organiser, the Hue People’s Committee, hopes the Hue Handicraft Festival 2011 – to be celebrated from April 30 to May 3 – will establish the city as a cultural and culinary hub.

It said hotels and guesthouses in Hue are ready to welcome visitors and have promised to keep tariffs unchanged during the event.

(Source: VNS)

The festival, which will be held on Tran Nhan Tong Streetand nearby areas in Thong Nhat Park, will feature not only bonsai trees, but flowers from the villages of Nhat Tan, Tay Tuu, Me Linh along with artificial flowers made of paper, metal, bronze and wood by artisans living in the city.

Various traditional festive food such as gio cha (boiled minced pork paste), nem chua (fermented pork paste) from Uoc Le Village and jams from Xuan Dinh Village will also be available at the festival, along with worshipping wares from Hanoi’s Son Dong Village, and furniture from the northern province of Bac Ninh’s Dong Ky Village.

Traditional folk performances will also take place including quan ho (love duets), cheo (traditional opera) and ca tru (ceremonial singing), as well as folk games and traditional handicraft competitions.

(Source: VNS)