Festivals in Thanh Hoa
An Lac Festival
Time: The 19th day of the ninth lunar month.
Place: Tho Xuan District, Thanh Hoa Province.
Objects of worship: Tutelary god Hien te Anh Linh Hoa Nuong.
Characteristics: Vegetarian meal, oan (truncated cone of sticky rice), fruits, votive paper things, sacrifices – offering ceremony in three days.
Ba Trieu Temple Festival
Time: From the 22nd to the 24thday of the second lunar month.
Place: Hau Loc District, Thanh Hoa Province.
Objects of worship: Ba Trieu is a lady general and a national hero who raised the issurection against Ngo aggression.
Ban Fair
Time: 15th day of the fourth lunar month. It is held once every 3 years.
Place: Dinh Tuong and Dinh Tang communes, Yen Dinh District, Thanh Hoa Province.
Objects of worship: Mr. and Mrs. La Sat.
Characteristics: Spring festival, selling and buying oxes, cows, buffaloes, farming implement and agricultural productions to pray for good luck.
Bot Thuong Village Festival
Time: The 6th day of the tenth lunar month.
Place: Bot Thuong Village, Hoang Loc Commune, Hoang Hoa District, Thanh Hoa Province.
Objects of worship: Village’s tutelary god – Nguyen Tuyen, a general who had great merit of assisting Ly Dynasty.
Characteristics: A triumphal merry-making party of village’s tutelary god is held in 3 days, offering pig, steamed glutinous rice, rice wine.
Co Bon Festival
Time: the 20th day of the first lunar month.
Place: Dong Thanh Commune, Dong Son District, Thanh Hoa Province.
Objects of worship: Thanh Ca (official name De Thich – king of chess), Thanh Quynh, Thanh Phuc, Thanh He (Dang Duke Nguyen Khai).
Characteristics: Procession, big feast of “Banh giay xe cua, banh chung trau keo” (it means giay cakes and chung cakes are so big that they must carried by buffalo). Bon games: Tien Cuoi, Hoa Lan, Ngo, Lang ba khuc, Thuy.
Duong Son Temple Festival
Time: From the 4th to the 7th day of the first lunar month.
Place: Tu Trong Hamlet, Hoang Quy Commune, Hoang Hoa District, Thanh Hoa Province.
Objects of worship: Le Phung Hieu, a famous general of Ly Dynasty.
Characteristics: Worship God. Select 48 young girls to sing ritual songs and prepare offering Saint feast.
Giap Mai Village Festival
Time: 9th to the 11th day of the first lunar month.
Place: Te Thang Commune, Nong Cong District, Thanh Hoa Province.
Objects of worship: Tran Khat Chan.
Characteristics: Folk songs singing and dancing.
Lam Kinh Festival
Time: The 22nd day of the eight lunar month, the death anniversary of Le Loi.
Objects of worship: King Le Thai To (Le Loi).
Place: King Le Temple, Xuan Lam Commune, Tho Xuan District, Thanh Hoa Province.
Characteristics: Ly lien singing and dancing and fair exhibition.
Lao Village Festival
Time: 6th day to the 7th day of the first lunar month.
Place: Dinh Tuong Commune, Yen Dinh District, Thanh Hoa Province.
Objects of worship: Thanh Quan.
Characteristics: Huntting cuoc (water hen) then give up to the village, tearing fish, tearing pork meat for offering.
Luong Trung Wrestle Festival
Time: 10th to the 14th day of the first lunar month.
Place: Quang Trung Commune, Quang Xuong District, Thanh Hoa Province.
Objects of worship: Duong Cong, the founder of wrestling arts.
Characteristics: Sacrifices- offering ceremonies of the village’s tutelary god and the founder of the wrestle, wrestling contest.
Mai An Tiem Festival
Time: 12th to 14th day of the third lunar month.
Place: Mai An Tiem Temple, Nga Son District, Thanh Hoa Province.
Objects of worship: Mai An Tiem, the son of Hung King (who found Water Melon).
Characteristics: Palanquin procession, incense offering, sacrifices-offering ceremony, rice cooking contest, javelin throwing, skipping, tug-of-war, contest of climbing the mountain then plucking and picking up, camping, singing and dancing performance.
Moc Cuu and Thuc Thoc Villages Festival
Time: The 9th day of the tenth lunar month.
Place: Moc Cuu and Thuc Thoc Villages, Tho Xuan District, Thanh Hoa Province.
Objects of worship: Village’s tutelary god – Rain genie.
Characteristics: Offerings are chay and giay cakes, fruits. Days after, offerings are steamed glutinous rice, pig, rice wine that are processed to Ngoc Son region for worshipping then the procession returns to sacrifice at temples of Moc Cuu and Thuc Thoc Villages.
Phung Cau Festival
Time: The 6th day of the eleventh lunar month.
Place: Phung Cau Hamlet, Thieu Thanh Commune, Thieu Hoa District, Thanh Hoa.
Province.
Objects of worship: Village’s tutelary god – Ba Tre (Princess Phuong), who had merit of assisting King Ly Thanh Tong fighting aggressors.
Ry Festival
Time: the 9th to the 10th day of the second lunar month.
Place: Thieu Ly Commune, Thieu Hoa District, Thanh Hoa Province.
Objects of worship: 5 village’s tutelary gods (Thanh Ca, Thien Phuc, Dai Hanh, Thai To, Bach Y Long).
Characteristics: Tran chess (Ry chess) playing. There are performance of gestures and announcement of the chess king like to tom diem.
Tat Tac Festival
Time: 6th to the 10th day of the first lunar month.
Place: Tien Loc Commune, Hau Loc District, Thanh Hoa Province.
Objects of worship: The founder of forging and coining.
Characteristics: dum singing by boys and girls of Bui Village; a cut table procession by Ngo and Son villages.
Tep Temple Festival
Time: The 21st day of the eighth lunar month.
Place: Duong Tu Hamlet, Kien Tho Commune, Ngoc Lac District, Thanh Hoa Province.
Objects of worship: Le Lai who sacrificed his life to save Le Loi.
Characteristics: Sacrifices – offering ceremony, incense offering in commemorating Le Lai.
Thiet Dinh Festival
Time: 7th to the 13th day of the first lunar month.
Place: Dinh Tuong Commune, Yen Dinh District, Thanh Hoa Province.
Objects of worship: Cao Son lap thach (a round stone).
Characteristics: procession of god, sacrifices – offering ceremony, statue washing, vie for ball), high jumping.
Van Le Festival
Time: The 25th day of the eleventh lunar month.
Place: Tho Xuan District, Thanh Hoa Province.
Objects of worship: Tutelary god – Prince Ly Nhat Quang and his wife Quynh Nuong, who had merit of fighting invaders. When they died, their souls always appear with great power in supporting King Tran Nhan Tong against Yuan aggressors.
Xuan Pha Festival
Time: the 10th day of the second lunar month.
Place: Xuan Truong Commune, Tho Xuan District, Thanh Hoa Province.
Objects of worship: Dong Hai Royal Highest, whose spirit supports to Kings Dinh and Le.
Characteristics: Worshipping ceremony, running contest, dance includes 5 games: Chiem Thanh, Ai Lao, Hoa Lan, Tu Huan (Luc hon nhung) and Ngo Quoc.
