Đống Đa festival
 |
Dragon -dance in Đống Đa festival
Photo: Tiến Dũng |
The event takes place on 5th of lunar January annually and people get excited to attend. The celebration of Đống Đa - Ngọc Hồi victory at historic Đống Đa mounds in Hà Nội. It's the resounding victory of the farmer – hero Nguyễn Huệ – the emperor Quang Trung who led Tây Sơn army and defeated the Chinese Quing invaders in 1789 ( year of cock). There' s always a performance to relive the victory, dragon- dance, sword - dance, martial arts and popular games: tug-of-war, cock-fighting, Chinese chess, wrestling… that attract visitors far and wide.
Hung temple festival
 |
Hung temple festival
Photo: Trần Tuấn |
It's national festival to be organized every year at 3 pagodas: lower - central and upper ones on mount Nghĩa Lĩnh, Hy Cương commune, Phong Châu district, Phú Thọ province.
The morning of the 10th of lunar March, it's the eventful festival. After 3 rounds bronze drums and gongs, the ceremony opens, then processions from villages proceed to the centre. Processions look very colourful with flags and canopies, musical bands and the pilgrims. At the front-gate, minority girls perform local dance. From door-gate of well-pagoda to lake Đa Vao there are games and sports: dwelling, tug-of-war, arrow-shooting and sedan-chair procession… In the lake, there are boat-races by villagers. Pair of dragon-boats beautifully decorated speed ahead in the cheers of spectators on either banks. In the grounds, there are ball-throw, swinging or singing contests with local songs (xoan, ghẹo).
Hùng temple is a relic -complex that go deep into the hearts of Vietnamese in a view to worship the national founders and the festival is not only for the people at home but for Vietnamese overseas.
Fisher people's festival
 |
Fishersmen ceremony in Quảng Nam - Đà Nẵng
Photo: T.V |
The event takes place every 3 years in the central part and it lasts 3 days (normally from mid-January to March lunar). It's both ceremony and festival. The eventful ritual is opened at midnight to wish for best luck and safety and to memorize the dead. At about 5 am, it's fishermen ceremony (on land and in the water).
Most exciting is boat-race of the fishing villages and it starts with solemn ceremony competitors show their talents in opening event (4 phases), and each phase with a card to pray for good luck and good weather, good crop.
In fishing village Thuận An (Thừa Thiên – Huế), there's a ceremony of spreading fishing-net that relive the customs of the fishing villages. Firstly, the oldest man is respected to pray for a prosperous year by land Gods, sea Gods… After a round of drumbeat, he drops coins and worship objects on the ground and the children try to take it as gook luck. They are disguised as fish, shrimps… then fishermen bring in a sedan chair with a man on. He spreads the fishing net on the children, the player narrow the round until the children are surrounded.
Children are considered as fish trying to escape, then the fishermen catch the fish. Nice fish are placed nearby the altar, the rest are put "on sales"- everything goes on as well as in real life.
In Quảng Nam - Đà Nẵng, festivals take place normally in lunar mid-March, the locals worship the "Mr Fish" on the Dolphin and also start the fishing season. Fishing boats from all corners gather here. In families, altars are decorated with worship-objects and the ceremony opens on the procession to the open-sea accompanied by performances of folklores and classic opera or tuồng.
Fishing villages in Phú Yên - where almost people earn their living by fishing, the festivals are organized in lunar March when the new fishing season begins to pay their tribute to the forefathers and ancestors to worship "cá ông or the Dolphin", to pray for good and lucky year. The ceremony is held in the village temple with worship offerings, worship speeches, and performances while the festival means games and sports, eating and drinking.
Dinh Cô festival Dinh Cô is a small temple dedicated to a young virginal girl who got drowned. The temple was built on a hill -top near the beach Long Hải in Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu province. The festival lasts 3 days (from 10th – 12th of lunar December every year), thousands of visitors come from TP. Hồ Chí Minh city, Lâm Đồng, Bình Thuận and Southwestern.
In the morning of 10th lunar February, the local pay homage to "the girl", each comer has a white lily as symbol of virginity. Many believers try to climb 187 stone-steps to the temple in a view to pray for gook lucks. On 10th and 11th nights, the whole region is brightly lit up with lights and lanterns. Boats from all corners gather here to make the festival more cheerful and exciting.
The ceremony in held on 12th, from the temple, the pilgrims proceed to the berth, get on board, the ships and boats for the prayers. The ceremony is in solemn atmosphere with traditional performance. Dinh Cô festival is a cultural identity of the fishing villages in Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu.
Việt Nam, a country of 4-season festivals. It's a culture worth being preserved and respected.
THANH HIỀN