Major festivals not to be missed in January

Go Dong Da Festival - Hanoi

This is a victory festival held to commemorate the glorious achievements of King Quang Trung – a hero in the nation's history of fighting foreign invaders. The festival is usually held from early morning on the 5th day of the Lunar New Year, following drum and gong ceremonies signaling the start of the procession of the god of victory, symbolizing the spirit of the Tay Son army, from Khuong Thuong village communal house to Dong Da Hill. Participating in the procession are young people from villages such as Khuong Thuong and Thinh Hao, dressed in ceremonial attire, followed by banners, flags, palanquins, and at the end of the procession is a straw-made "fire dragon" figure. Dong Quang Pagoda, opposite Dong Da Hill, is where prayers are offered and incense is burned to commemorate the heroes and patriots who wholeheartedly served the people and the country. After the ceremony, there are lively folk games and competitions of skill and intellect such as dragon dance, lion dance, wrestling, chess, and cockfighting.

Huong Pagoda Festival - My Duc, Hanoi

The festival lasts from the 6th day of the first lunar month to the end of the third lunar month (the main celebration is on the 15th day of the second lunar month). The Huong Pagoda Festival takes place in Huong Son commune, My Duc district, Ha Tay province (now Hanoi). This is also the longest-running festival in Vietnam. According to the beliefs of ancient Vietnamese people, Huong Son is considered a Buddhist realm, and Huong Pagoda is where the Goddess of Mercy, Quan Am, is worshipped. Unlike other festivals, the Huong Pagoda Festival is unique. The ceremonial part at Huong Pagoda is Buddhist worship, while the festive part is the presence of pilgrims visiting this sacred land. During the festival, hundreds of thousands of people visit the mountains, caves, and pray for good fortune and blessings at the temples…

Co Loa Association - Dong Anh, Hanoi

This is one of the country's most significant festivals, commemorating and honoring An Duong Vuong Thuc Phan, who founded the Au Lac Kingdom and built the Co Loa Citadel. The Co Loa Festival takes place in Co Loa village, Dong Anh district, Hanoi, from the 6th to the 16th of the first lunar month. Besides traditional rituals and processions, the Co Loa Festival also features lively folk games such as crossbow shooting, swinging, traditional wrestling, and Quan Ho folk singing on boats by the Ngoc Well in front of the Thuong Temple... The festival runs from the 6th to the 16th of the first lunar month.

Lim Festival - Bac Ninh

This is a major festival of Bac Ninh province, with the main event held on the 13th day of the first lunar month every year in Tien Du district. The Lim Festival is considered a unique embodiment of the Kinh Bac cultural region, featuring many folk games such as martial arts, wrestling, chess, swinging, weaving competitions, and rice cooking contests. Most distinctive is the festival singing – the fundamental and most characteristic part of the Lim Festival. From songs inviting guests to chew betel, songs calling for a boat, to songs about a magpie crossing the river and a spider spinning its web...

Tran Temple Festival - Nam Dinh

The Tran Temple Festival begins with the seal-opening ceremony at midnight on the 15th day of the first lunar month (from 11 PM on the 14th to 1 AM on the 15th of the first lunar month). This is a humane cultural custom where the king offers sacrifices to Heaven, Earth, and ancestors, expressing his reverence and gratitude to the nation and his forefathers. Many people come to the Tran Temple during the festival to request or purchase a seal, hoping for career advancement. At all three temples within the Tran Temple complex – Thien Truong Temple, Co Trach Temple, and Trung Hoa Temple – spirit medium rituals or shamanic ceremonies are frequently held.

Hung Temple Festival - Phu Tho

The Hung Kings' Commemoration Festival, also known as the Hung Kings' Ancestral Anniversary, opens from March 9th to 13th, with the main celebration on March 10th of the lunar calendar. This is a major national festival to commemorate the Hung Kings who founded the nation. The custom of commemorating the Hung Kings has become a long-standing cultural tradition in Vietnam. For a very long time, in the folk consciousness, the ancestral land has become a "sacred holy place" of the whole country, the origin of the nation. People who make pilgrimages to the ancestral land feel proud to be descendants of the Hung Kings for generations.

Hai Luu Buffalo Fighting Festival - Vinh Phuc

Held annually on the 17th day of the first lunar month in Hai Luu commune, Lap Thach district, Vinh Phuc province, this is the oldest buffalo fighting festival in Vietnam. Legend says the festival dates back to the 2nd century BC. When the Han dynasty invaded the Nam Viet kingdom of the descendants of Trieu Da, the Trieu dynasty collapsed. Lu Gia, the Trieu prime minister, retreated to the mountainous region of Hai Luu, Song Lo - Vinh Phuc to organize resistance. After each victory, Lu Gia would organize buffalo fights to motivate his soldiers; the buffaloes were slaughtered to feast the troops. After Lu Gia's death, the villagers of Hai Luu worshipped him as the village's guardian deity, and the buffalo fighting festival began from that time.

Yen Tu Festival - Quang Ninh

The Yen Tu Festival, located in Thuong Yen Cong commune, Uong Bi district, Quang Ninh province, officially opens on the 10th day of the first lunar month. In addition to traditional rituals such as incense offerings, prayers for national peace and prosperity, performances of traditional art forms, and the sacred Yen Tu seal-stamping ceremony, there will be many new and attractive activities. Most notably, the participation of ethnic minority communities from the Yen Tu mountain area and surrounding regions in the festival activities enriches the programs and strengthens the solidarity among ethnic groups.

Firecracker procession festival in Dong Ky village, Bac Ninh province.

The firecracker procession of Dong Ky village, Dong Quang commune, Tu Son district, Bac Ninh province, will take place from the 4th to the 6th of January to commemorate and reenact the resounding victory of Saint Thien Cuong – a general later revered by the villagers as the village's guardian deity, who ordered the army to march out to fight the enemy. All preparations for the firecracker procession begin early on the 4th, but precisely at 9:00 AM, two large firecrackers, symbolizing the First and Second Firecrackers, are carried by young men from the village from the house of the village's festival leader (Head of the Celebration Committee) to the communal house, accompanied by a procession of hundreds of people, witnessed and eagerly watched by thousands of visitors from all over. The most spectacular part is the firecracker procession; cultural and sporting activities around the festival area are equally vibrant, including Quan Ho folk singing, traditional opera, and competitions in badminton, volleyball, chess, and cockfighting…

The Pig Procession Festival - Hanoi

The annual festival, held on the 13th day of the first lunar month, takes place in La Phu village, Hoai Duc district, Hanoi. This is the village's biggest festival of the year. All hamlets in the village prepare offerings to worship a village deity, a former general under King Hung who helped defeat invaders. Each hamlet's offering is the largest and most beautiful pig, slaughtered whole, then beautifully decorated and brought to the temple for the ceremony and competition. The ceremony begins at 8:30 PM and continues until night. The hamlet with the largest and most beautiful pig wins first prize. Thus, dozens of such pigs are paraded to the temple, accompanied by dragon dances, lion dances, ceremonial music bands, and many other dance groups.

Lồng Tồng Festival

This is a traditional festival characteristic of the Tay ethnic group. The festival typically features traditional folk games such as throwing the "con" (a type of ball), blindfolded goat catching, and folk singing. This festival is held annually in the first or second lunar month, depending on the locality, and carries the meaning of praying for blessings, a bountiful harvest, and a peaceful and prosperous life.

Muong Village Prayer Festival

This is a very important cultural and religious activity for ethnic minority communities in Northwest Vietnam, such as the Thai people in Mai Chau, Thuan Chau, and Moc Chau, and the Muong people. The festival is held at the end of January and the beginning of February of the lunar calendar every year. It is associated with the custom of sacrificing buffalo and offering thanks to the deities, represented by the images of water gods and dragons. The festival includes many activities related to the material, spiritual, and religious life, as well as the harvest, health, and livelihoods of the entire community during the year of the festival. Therefore, the festival is organized very solemnly and attracts a large number of people from the region.

Fishing Festival - Hue

This is a festival of the people of Thai Duong Ha village, Thuan An town, Phu Vang district, Thua Thien Hue province. The festival is held annually on the 12th day of the first lunar month to commemorate the village's patron saint, Truong Quy Cong (nicknamed Truong Thieu), a native of Thanh Hoa who taught the poor villagers how to fish and trade using fishing boats. Usually every three years, the village organizes a grand ceremony with elaborate performances depicting the activities of the fishing profession, including the "casting of nets" ritual, symbolizing the presentation of the trade and vividly portraying the folk rituals of the coastal inhabitants.

Ba Den Temple Festival - Tay Ninh

This festival is also known as the Linh Son Thanh Mau Temple Festival, built on the slopes of a mountain at an altitude of 380m. To date, the temple has been renovated many times, and a staircase has been built from the foot of the mountain for pedestrians to ascend. The festival is held in early spring, after the Lunar New Year, from the 10th to the 15th day of the first lunar month. Every year, on the day of the Ba Den Temple Festival, hundreds of thousands of people from various provinces come to seek blessings from Linh Son Thanh Mau.

Nga Nguyen