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Vietnam festivals and events
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The festivals and events are calendared in Lunar
month. Normally, a lunar month stay later than western month of
around 30 days.
MARCH
PERFUME PAGODA ( HUONG TICH) FESTIVAL
The Perfume Pagoda (Huong Tich),
At My Duc, 69km south of Hanoi, without doubt, is the most famous
Buddhist pilgrimage site in northern Vietnam. Hhundreds of
thousands of pilgrims travel to this sacred cave to pray for
happiness and prosperity in the coming year. pilgrims board boats,
usually rowed by young women, which carry them along the Yen Stream
through a stunning landscape of blazing green rice paddles studded
with jagged limestone mounts to the base of Huong Mountain. From the
riverbank, pilgrims proceed on foot, past various ancient pagodas,
monasteries and shrines, up hundreds of stone steps and a switchback
trail, all worn smooth by the passage of countless feet.
The Perfume Pagoda consists of a group of caves and is an impressive
architectural ensemble of both human and natural endeavor.
The Perfume Pagoda Festival lasts from the 6th day of the 1st month
to the end of the 3rd month of the lunar calendar. Visitors can get
tot the Perfume Pagoda either by the inland road or by water way.
The Vietnamese believe that Huong Son is Buddha's Heaven. Huong Son
is considered the place to worship Brodhisattva Kwan Yin. People
conduct a dragon dance in the yard of Trinh Pagoda, and sail the
royal barge on the 6th day of the 1st month. The festival is held in
three places, Huong Tich, Tuyet Son, and Long Van. The festival is
most crowded from the 15th - 20th day of the 2nd month of the lunar
calendar as this period marks the main festival. The path leading
from Ngoai Pagoda to Trong Pagoda is full of visitors coming up and
down the mountain.
A pilgrimage to the Perfume Pagoda is not only for religious
reasons, but also to see the numerous natural landscapes and the
buildings that are valuable artifacts of the nation.
Starting Dates in Western
Calendar
2003
Feb 15, 2004 Feb 5,
2005 Feb 23,
2006 Feb 12,
2007 Mar 4,
2008 Feb 21
COW RACING FESTIVAL
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Each year on the last day of
the Khmer calendar, the Khmer, an ethnic minority group living in
the Mekong delta province of An Giang, hold a festival to honor
their ancestors. The festival begins with a visit to the pagoda,
where Khmer families invite the souls of their ancestors to dine
with the living. Should any visitors appear during the festival
they will be warmly received since the Khmer believe that guests
who arrive around New Year are messengers sent by their ancestors.
Following a visit to the pagoda people walk to the nearest stream
or river where they tie the trunks of banana trees together to
form rafts. Offerings are placed on these rafts, which are then
pushed into the water to be swept away by the current.
These quiet ceremonies are sharp contrast to the highlight of the
festival, a cow race. The racetrack, set in a muddy and slippery
paddy field, is 120m long, with both the start and finish lines
marked with red and green flags. Each race involves two pairs of
cow, controlled by two young men. To further complicate their
task, the teams must run in a straight line and will be
disqualified for veering off course.
The races are both exciting and hilarious. People travel from
miles for the show, bringing food and pots and pans for a picnic.
Part rodeo, part race and part comedy, a Khmer cow race is an
unforgettable spectacle.
Another months
APRIL
HUNG TEMPLE FESTIVAL
Hung
temple is located on Nghia Linh Mountain, Hy Lang Commune, Phong
Chau District, Phu Tho Province. Every year, this national
festival is held to worship the Hung Kings, who were instrumental
in founding the nation.
The
festival lasts for 3 days from the 9th to the 11th of the 3rd
lunar month. The worship service is held on the 10th day and
commences with a flower ceremony with the participation of state
representatives. Held in Thuong Temple, where the Hung Kings used
to worship deities with full rituals, the ceremony consists of a
lavish five-fruit feast. Cakes and glutinous rice dumpling are
also served to remind people of the Lang Lieu Legend (the 18th
Hung King who invented these cakes), and the merit of the Hung
Kings who taught people to grow rice.
Next to
the stage procession for deities, there are several marches in the
procession, such as the elephant march followed by the procession
chair. These procession marches are conducted in Tien Cuong, Hy
Cuong, Phuong Giao, and Co Tich Villages. The procession marches
are followed by a Xoan song performance (a classical type of song)
in the Thuong Temple, "Ca Tru" (a kind of classical opera) in Ha
temple, and other activities.
The Hung
Temple Festival not only attracts visitors from all over and
allows visitors to participate in special traditional cultural
activities, but it is also a sacred trip back in time to the
origins of the Vietnamese culture. People usually show their love
and pride of their homeland and ancestral land. This religious
belief is deeply imbedded in the minds of every Vietnamese
citizen, regardless of where they originate.
Starting Dates in Western
Calendar
2003
Apr 11, 2004 Apr 28,
2005 Apr 18,
2006 Apr 07,
2007 Apr 26,
2008 Apr 15
CHU DONG TU FESTIVAL
This
festival occurs for three days from the 10th - 12th of the third
lunar month in Chu Dong Tu Temple in Du Hoa Village, Chau Giang
District, Hung Yen province, some 20 km from Hanoi.
Saint Chu
Dong Tu was one of the "four immortal heroes" at the centre of
Vietnamese society. Chu Dong Tu was a cultural hero and the
founder of agriculture because he conquered the marsh and
developed agriculture and trade.
After the
opening ceremony, there is a procession to remind people of the
legend, life, and work of Saint Chu Dong Tu and his two wives .
Starting Dates in Western
Calendar
2003
Apr 11, 2004 Apr 28,
2005 Apr 18,
2006 Apr 07,
2007 Apr 26,
2008 Apr 15
LE MAT SNAKE FESTIVAL
Le
Mat Village belongs to the Viet Hung Commune, Gia Lam District,
Hanoi. The Le Mat Village Festival is held annually on the 23rd of
the 3rd lunar month. In the early morning on the 23rd day of the
3rd month, representatives of the 13 camps to the west of the
Ancient Capital of Thang Long carry 13 trays of food over their
heads from the capital to the Le Mat Village.
At the
beginning of the festival, water and carp processions are staged
and brought to the Thanh Communal House. This ritual reminds the
present generation of the heroic accomplishments of exploiting and
bringing about agriculture to the village. A snake act is then
performed in the yard of the communal house. The snake (made of
bamboo taped with cloth) symbolizes the water-monster species that
has been bitten by the power and will of youth. The music of this
act is an octet and the sound of the drummer's double rhythm is
haunting. The Le Mat Village Festival provides an opportunity for
children in the village, and those who have reclaimed this ancient
wasteland in the city, to meet and retell the history of the
establishment of the village. The challenge and difficulty that
was encountered in the establishment of the village is expressed
in the sincere homage of the ancestors of the village.
In
addition to the ceremony, the Le Mat people have a special talent
for catching snakes. While attending the Le Mat Village Festival,
guests are offered a cup of snake wine made from three or five
snakes.
Starting Dates in Western
Calendar
2003
Apr 24, 2004 May 11,
2005 May 01,
2006 Apr 20,
2007 May 09,
2008 Apr 28
WHALE FESTIVAL
The Whale
Festival has been, for centuries, the biggest water festival of
the fishermen in Quang Nam, Danang province. The worshipping of
the whale is not only about paying respect to their God, but also
about ensuring prosperity for the villagers. This festival last
for two days in the middle of the 3rd lunar month. On this
occasion, the whale temple, as well as all the houses and boats,
are beautifully decorated. The peace offering is conducted in the
first evening at the whale temple by village elders. Offerings,
which do not contain seafoods, are given while the oration is read
out. The ceremony is held to respect the Whale God and to pray for
the safety and prosperity of the village.
At dawn
the following day, there will be a procession of boats on the sea
in a set formation. This procession displays the sincerity of
fishermen to their Whale God. By midnight, the official ceremony
is conducted as school children offer incense and the orchestra
plays a classical opera. All the fishing boats and villagers, no
matter where they are, will return to take part in the Whale
Festival.
Starting Dates in Western
Calendar
2003
Apr 11, 2004 Apr 28,
2005 Apr 18,
2006 Apr 07,
2007 Apr 26,
2008 Apr 15
ELEPHANT RACE FESTIVAL
This
festival is held in the spring, around the 3rd month of the lunar
calendar. It is usually held in Don Village or in forests near the
Sevepoi River (Dac Lak). The race track is on even ground where
there are only has a few big trees. The width of the track is
large enough for 10 elephants to stand in a line at the same time
and the length of the track runs 1-2 km.
With the
signal of the horn (a wind instrument), the mahouts command their
elephants to go to the starting line. When the command to start
the race is released, all of the elephants rush ahead, excited by
the sound of the drums, gongs, and cheering from the viewers. At
the end of the race, the winning elephants lift their trunks above
their heads to wave to the viewers. They walk deliberately
flapping their ears gently, gazing through half-closed eyes to
receive sugarcane from their viewers.
The
elephant race is the biggest festival in the middle highland. It
bears the martial spirit of the M'nong ethnic group, who are very
famous for their bravery and skill in hunting wild elephants.
Starting Dates in Western
Calendar
2003
Apr 11, 2004 Apr 28,
2005 Apr 18,
2006 Apr 07,
2007 Apr 26,
2008 Apr 15
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