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Celebrating Victory Festival of the Nung Din
- Time: The 1st day of the seventh lunar month.
- Place: Muong Khuong and Bac Ha Districts, Lao Cai Province.
- Objects of worship: Earth genie.
- Characteristics: Offerings to sacrifice to genies include the food made from banana: banana, banana inflorescence, banana core, 7 - colour steamed glutinous rice which symbolize banana tree and a pair of red chopsticks, folk song singing to tell about the story of fighting invaders.
Quan Lan Festival 
- Time: The festivities are organized yearly on the 18th day of the sixth lunar month, but the celebration lasts from the 10th to the 20th day of month.
- Place: Dinh Wharf in Quan Lan Commune, Van Don District, Quang Ninh Province.
- Characteristics: The festival is organized to commemorate the victory against the Mongol invaders in 1288, as well as the feats of Tran Khanh Du, a famous Tran General. They also pray for good “harvest” from the sea.
Quan Lan Communal House Festival is the village-wide celebration for the inhabitants of the island community of Quan Lan: located the central area of the ancient Van Don Harbour.
The 10th day of the sixth lunar month features the ritual of “closing the village": the inhabitants cannot leave, but those who have moved away and other guests from any corner of the country are welcome.
The festivities of Quan Lan Communal House are comprised of a traditional rowing competition: villagers are divided into two sides. They establish their particular training grounds on the 13th day of the month in order to prepare themselves. The boats used are ordinary 5 to 6 - tonne fishing boats, with lowered sails and dragon - heads carved on the fronts.
The 16th day is reserved for receiving the genies. There is a procession for the funeral tablets of Tran Khanh Du from the temple to the village’s communal house.
On the 18th day at about 3p.m (every year at this time the tide reaches the temple’s wharf), the boats start. The "soldiers" on one side wear a white jacket and blue pants, while the other group wears gray or black clothing. When the opposing generals meet each other at the communal house, the “soldiers” and spectators shout resoundingly; the noise echoes throughout the region. The two generals make sword - tracings in the air, and the two troops meet each other three times: symbolizing the three victories during the Tran Dynasty. Following the third meeting, they assemble before the shrine and the rowing contest begins.
Quan Lan Communal House Festival bears characteristics of traditional village festivals, but is particularly grandiose, expressing the military spirit of the Vietnamese in the struggle against foreign invaders.
Ba Xa Temple Festival 
- Time: The 12th day of the sixth lunar month.
- Place: Minh Duc Commune, Ung Hoa District, Ha Tay Province.
- Objects of worship: Saint Mac Trau.
- Characteristics: Dragon dance, unicorn dance, cock fighting, wrestling, beating bag of rice and bag of water.
Chi Long Village Festival 
- Time: 12th to the 13th day of the sixth lunar month. The main festival day on the 13th day of the sixth lunar month.
- Place: Phong Chuong Commune, Phong Dien District, Thua Thien Hue Province.
- Objects of worship: Lady Dai Cang (in the 15th century), who had merit of escorting 4 heads of clan (Le, Nguyen, Vo, Tran) reclaimed wasteland and set up the village.
- Characteristics: Ky Phuoc ceremony, procession of heads of clan's votive tablets, túc yêt ceremony (includes: reading funeral oration, bong dancing, incense offering). The offerings include the whole pig and ox. After worshipping, some offerings are put on paper boat and floated on river. The custom of avoiding going to the forest and no fire from morning to evening.
Ong Pagoda Festival 
- Time: The 24th day of the sixth lunar month.
- Place: 676 - 678 Nguyen Trai Street, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City.
- Objects of worship: Quan Cong and
many other Chinese gods.
- Characteristics: Incense offering ceremony, statue-washing ceremony, unicorn dance, boi singing.
Ky Yen Festival
- Time: The 26th day of the sixth lunar month.
- Place: Nguyen Huu Canh Temple, Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai Province.
- Characteristics: Boat racing, vying for offerings to get fortunes.
(Posted by ActiveTravelVietnam.com - 20Jun.06) |
