Dong Da Festival, Hanoi

The Dong Da Hill Festival (Dong Da district, Hanoi) is an annual event held on the 5th lunar day of the Tet Holiday. This festival celebrates the Vietnamese nation's triumphant victory against the Qing invaders. Two centuries ago, Dong Da was a battlefield where Quang Trung (Nguyen Hue), a Tay Son farmer who later became a National Hero defeated more than 200,000 soldiers of the Qing invading army. Dong Da Hill became a glorious historical site of the Vietnamese nation. In the early morning of the 5th day, a procession for the historical event's celebration commences at Khuong Thuong and ends at Dong Da Hill. The procession includes flags, a processional parasol, palanquins with a variety of colours, and the sounds of gongs and drums. The procession moves slowly with the characteristic of a triumphant victory. The most special part of the procession is the Fire Dragon which is decorated with straw, cataphyll, and coarse paper. A group of youth, dressed in martial suits, then goes around and performs a piece that recounts the whole period of the war.The "Thang Long Fire Dragon" has become a symbol of the Vietnamese nation's victory. When the procession comes to the Dong Da Hill, there is a solemn ceremony after which someone reads the story of the victory of Ky Dau that praises the military genius of the national hero, Quang Trung. There are also various games, and competitions such as: wrestling, the swing, cock fights... that challenge the skill and intelligence of the participants on the wide field in front of the hill. During the festival, the Dong Quang pagoda which is located opposite to the Dong Da Hill also performs religious rites. The rites are taken place by a big devout group who presents joss-sticks and offers the souls of the national heroes, and the souls of enemy troops killed in the battle as well. On the same day, a number of people also visit the Boc Pagoda, and present their respects and offerings before the Duc Ong Statue, a stature which, in the view of many, is actually dedicated to Emperor Quang Trung.