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Festivals have long been considered the traditional cultural activity of the Vietnamese people. They are attractive to all social classes and have become a necessary part of people's lives for many centuries. Here is Cultural Calendar in this month.
April 9-16
Phu Giay Festival
Where? Kim Thai commune, Vu Ban District, Nam Dinh Province (100km from Ha Noi)
Why? This annual rite is organised to venerate Saint Lieu Hanh, one of the nation’s Four Immortals. Legend has it that the twice-married performer Phung Thi Ngoc Dai from Vu Ban made a difference when she was selected by Lord Trinh Trang (1623-1657) to become Her Majesty. Because of her background, this woman, who now had moved to Thang Long capital, helped discharge all her locals from labouring for the Lord in the capital. Before she was chosen to become Her Majesty, she prayed to Saint Lieu Hanh and this holy figure helped realise her wishes. She built a temple to worship the saint. Ngoc Dai was later worshipped as the holy patron saint of the vicinity.
How? Well-dressed virgins are chosen to carry the saint’s sedan. Locals gather to perform a pantomime retelling the legend. They place many hens, spades, shovels and hoes on the ground in front of the main temple to recall the story of their freedom from corvee labour. The participants later line up in the form of the Chinese character for worship.
Apart from the above activities, the festival features various forms of folk singing and a fair selling local delicacies.
April 11
Quan Thanh Temple Festival
Where? Thanh Nien Road, Ba Dinh District, Ha Noi
Why? The annual festival is held to commemorate Huyen Thien Tran Vu, one of four gods guarding the four walls of Thang Long Citadel since the Ly Dynasty.
Some other gods are worshipped here, such as Tu Dai Nguyen Uy, Phap Tuong and Bach Ngoc Than Phap Tuong.
April 11-13
Hon Chen Temple Festival
Where? Hai Duong Commune, Huong Tra District, Hue (more than 650km from Ha Noi.)
Why? The temple worships the goddess Po Nagar (now known as Yana) of the Cham ethnic minority.Other gods such as Thuy Long, Son Trung and Ba Chua Thuong Ngan are also worshipped here. How? The main symbolic procession takes place at night on floating wooden sheets on the Huong (Perfume) River.
April 13-16
Quang Lam Festival
Where? Han Quang Commune, Que Vo District, Bac Ninh Province (more than 30km from Ha Noi).
How? According to legend, after each worshipping ceremony in the afternoon, local singers are invited to perform in the communal house. Meanwhile, groups of local boys and girls sit next to one another and sing in the village lanes. It’s believed that if the boys and girls do not sit and sing together, the village will have bad luck for the year.
April 14-20
Hat Mon Temple Festival
Where? Hat Mon commune, Phuc Tho District, Ha Tay Province (30km from Ha Noi)
Why? This is one of the three biggest temples worshipping Hai Ba Trung in Viet Nam. Legend has it that the two Trung sisters summoned their forces here to drive back the Chinese invaders (40AD). From this destination, their military expanded over the country to win its independence. After the two sisters died, the locals built the temple to commemorate them.
How? April 7 marks the anniversary of the sisters’ death. During the festival, the locals prepare plenty of banh troi (dumplings made of sticky rice dough, with rock sugar fillings). An old story has it that the Trung sisters stopped here as they fled their enemies. They dropped by a tea-stand on the road and ate rice dumplings and two mangoes. The seeds of these fruits were later planted in what is now the temple ground. Festival-goers choose 49 pieces of the dumplings and place them inside a lotus flower. The flower is then set afloat on the waters of the Day River.
To express their gratitude to the heroines, none of the Hat Mon villagers eat rice dumplings prior to the festival day.
Attendants are not allowed to wear red clothes during the festival, as it is believed that the two sisters’ blood spread across the land when they died.
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