Traditional festivals nationwide celebrate Lunar New Year

A wide range of traditional festivals were held around the country on February 21 to celebrate the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet).

Thursday, February 22, 2018 06:29

The opening ceremony for the Huong Pagoda Festival (Credit: news.zing.vn)

The Huong Pagoda Festival, one of the largest in Vietnam, officially opened in Hanoi’s My Duc district yesterday (the sixth day of the Lunar New Year).

At the opening ceremony, the pagoda’s abbot, Venerable Thich Minh Hien, beat the drum to kick off the festival and offered incense to pray for continued peace and prosperity for Vietnam and its people. The event attracted around 40,000 visitors on the opening day.

On the same day, Co Loa festival in Dong Anh district, Hanoi was held to commemorate King An Duong Vuong who founded the ancient Vietnamese state of Au Lac and chose Co Loa as the capital city.

A ritual at the Co Loa Festival (Credit: phapluatplus.vn)

In addition to a palanquin procession and incense offering ceremony, various sporting activities as well as folk games were held during the festival, including wrestling, tug-of-war, archery, a rice cooking contest and cock-fighting.

As many as 20 artists from Hanoi and Ha Nam province, along with several young painters from the US and Spain joined a competition to decorate buffalos attending the annual Tich Dien (Ploughing) festival which was held in Doi Son commune, Duy Tien district, Ha Nam province on February 22.

The competition to decorate buffalos attending the Tich Dien festival

A traditional wrestling festival was held for the occasion in Thu Le village, Sia town, Quang Dien district, Thua Thien – Hue province, drawing the participation of nearly 100 wrestlers as well as attracting a large number of spectators.

The traditional wrestling festival in Thu Le village attracts numerous spectators.

Various visitors flocked to Thien Loc commune, Can Loc district, Ha Tinh province to join the Huong Tich Pagoda Festival, one of the biggest in the province. The event, which will run until March, features traditional cultural activities and folk games.