Major festivals not to be missed in January

Dong Da Mound Festival - Hanoi

This is a victory festival held to commemorate the glorious achievements of King Quang Trung - the hero in the history of the nation's resistance against foreign invaders. The festival is usually held from early morning on the 5th day of Tet, after the 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 communal house to Dong Da hill. Participating in the procession are young people from the villages: Khuong Thuong, Thinh Hao... dressed in festival costumes, followed by co, bien, long kieu... and at the end of the procession is the image of a "fire dragon" made of straw. Dong Quang Pagoda opposite Dong Da hill is the place where the memorial service and incense offering ceremony take place to commemorate the merits of the heroes and righteous men who devoted themselves to the people and the country. After the ceremony, there are fun folk games, competitions of talent and intelligence such as: dragon dance, lion dance, wrestling, chess, cockfighting...

Perfume 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 festival 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 (now Hanoi). This is also the festival with the longest opening time compared to other festivals in our country. According to the consciousness of the ancient Vietnamese, Huong Son is considered a Buddhist land and Huong Pagoda is the place to worship Quan Am Buddha. Different from other festivals, the Huong Pagoda Festival is a unique festival. The ceremony at Huong Pagoda is to worship Buddha, the festival at Huong Pagoda is the presence of pilgrims to the land of Buddha. During the festival, hundreds of thousands of people come to visit the mountains, caves and pray for luck and blessings at the temples...

Co Loa Festival - Dong Anh, Hanoi

This is one of the country's typical festivals, commemorating and honoring An Duong Vuong Thuc Phan, who founded the Au Lac country and built Co Loa citadel. Co Loa festival takes place in Co Loa village, Dong Anh district, Hanoi, from the 6th to the 16th of the first lunar month. Not only does it have traditional rituals and processions, Co Loa festival also features folk games such as crossbow shooting, swinging, traditional wrestling, Quan Ho singing on boats, at the Ngoc well in front of the Thuong temple... The festival takes place from the 6th to the 16th of the first lunar month.

Lim Festival - Bac Ninh

This is a big festival of Bac Ninh province, the main festival is held on January 13 every year, in Tien Du district, Bac Ninh province. Lim festival is considered a unique crystallization of Kinh Bac culture with many folk games such as martial arts, wrestling, chess, swing, weaving, cooking. The most special part is the festival singing - the most basic and typical part of Lim festival. From singing to invite betel, singing to call the ferry to the starling crossing the river, the spider spinning a mosquito net...

Tran Temple Festival - Nam Dinh

The Tran Temple Festival begins with the seal opening ceremony from the hour of Ty (midnight) on the full moon 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 cultural custom of humanistic nature for the king to worship Heaven, Earth, and Ancestors to show his respect and gratitude to the country and his ancestors. Many people come to the Tran Temple on the occasion of the festival to ask for/buy the seal with the hope of being promoted in their career. At all 3 temples in the Tran Temple, including Thien Truong Temple, Co Trach Temple, and Trung Hoa Temple, the rituals of hau dong or len dong often take place.

Hung Temple Festival - Phu Tho

The Hung Temple Festival, also known as the Hung Kings' Commemoration Day, opens from March 9 to 13, with the main festival taking place on the 10th day of the third lunar month. This is a major national festival to commemorate the Hung Kings who founded the country. The custom of commemorating the Hung Kings' Commemoration Day has become a long-standing cultural tradition in our country. And for a long time in the folk consciousness, the land of the ancestors has become the "sacred land" of the whole country, the place where the nation originated. People who make pilgrimages to the land of the ancestors are proud in their hearts to be the eternal descendants of the Hung Kings.

Buffalo fighting festival in Hai Luu - Vinh Phuc

Taking place in Hai Luu commune, Lap Thach district, Vinh Phuc, opened every year on January 17, this is the oldest buffalo fighting festival in Vietnam. According to legend, this festival dates back to the 2nd century BC. When the Han Dynasty invaded the Nam Viet country of Trieu Da's descendants, the Trieu Dynasty collapsed, and the prime minister of Trieu Dynasty, Lu Gia, withdrew his troops to the Hai Luu mountain area, Lo River - Vinh Phuc to organize a fight against the enemy. After each victory, Lu Gia organized buffalo fighting to encourage his soldiers, and the buffaloes were killed to reward the soldiers. After Lu Gia died, the villagers of Hai Luu worshiped him as the village's tutelary god, and the buffalo fighting festival began from then on.

Yen Tu Festival - Quang Ninh

Yen Tu Festival in Thuong Yen Cong Commune, Uong Bi District, Quang Ninh officially opened on the 10th day of the first lunar month. In addition to traditional rituals such as incense offering, praying for national peace and prosperity, performing traditional art performances, Yen Tu sacred seal ceremony... there will be many new and exciting activities. Most notably, the participation of ethnic minorities around Yen Tu Mountain and neighboring areas in the festival activities not only enriches the programs but also strengthens the solidarity of ethnic groups.

Dong Ky village firecracker procession - Bac Ninh

The fireworks procession in Dong Ky village in Dong Quang commune, Tu Son, Bac Ninh will take place from the 4th to the 6th of January to commemorate and recreate the echoes of the day of Saint Thien Cuong - a general later worshiped by the people as the village's tutelary god, who ordered troops to fight the enemy. All the work for the fireworks procession was prepared from early morning on the 4th, but at exactly 9 am, two large fireworks symbolizing the First and Second fireworks were carried by the young men of the village from the house of the head of the festival (Head of the Festival Committee) to the communal house with a procession of hundreds of people, witnessed and excited by thousands of visitors from all over. The most exciting part is the fireworks procession; cultural and sports activities around the area where the village festival takes place are equally exciting, such as Quan Ho singing, Tuong singing, and competitions in badminton, volleyball, Chinese chess, cockfighting, etc.

Pig procession - Hanoi

The festival takes place every year on the 13th day of the first lunar month in La Phu village, Hoai Duc district, Hanoi, where the "Mr" pig is carried away. This is the biggest festival of the year in the village. All the hamlets in the village prepare a ceremony to go to the communal house to worship a village god, who was a general under the Hung King who had the merit of defeating the enemy. The offering of each hamlet is the biggest and most beautiful "Mr" pig, which is slaughtered and left whole, then beautifully decorated, brought to the communal house to worship and compete. The ceremony starts from 8:30 pm until night. The "Mr" pig of the hamlet that is the biggest and most beautiful will win first prize. Thus, the whole village has dozens of such pigs that are taken to the communal house one by one, followed by dragon dance teams, lion dance teams, ceremonial music teams, and many other dance teams accompanying the offerings.

Long Tong Festival

This is a traditional festival typical of the Tay ethnic group. During the festival, traditional folk games often take place such as: throwing con, blindfolded goat catching, singing, etc. This festival is held annually in January and February of the lunar calendar depending on each locality, with the meaning of praying for blessings, good harvests, a peaceful and prosperous life.

Muong village peace praying festival

This is a very important cultural and religious activity for ethnic minority communities in the Northwest such as the Thai ethnic group in Mai Chau, Thuan Chau, Moc Chau and the Muong ethnic group. The festival is held at the end of January and the beginning of February of the lunar calendar every year. This festival is associated with the custom of killing buffaloes and thanking the gods, represented by the image of water gods, dragons, etc. The content of the festival has many activities related to the material, spiritual, mental life, crops, health and business of the whole community during the festival year. That is why this festival is held very solemnly, attracting a large number of people in the region.

Cau Ngu 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 on the 12th day of the first lunar month every year, to commemorate the village's tutelary god, Truong Quy Cong (nickname of Truong Thieu), a native of Thanh Hoa who taught the poor how to fish and trade with bamboo boats. Usually every three years, the village holds a grand ceremony, with performances depicting fishing activities, including "spreading nets" to represent the profession, vividly depicting the folk rituals of coastal residents.

Ba Den Temple Festival - Tay Ninh

This festival is also known as Linh Son Thanh Mau Temple Festival, built on the mountainside at an altitude of 380m. Up to now, the temple has been restored many times, and from the foot of the mountain, a stairway has been built for pedestrians. The festival is held in early spring, after the Lunar New Year, from the 10th to the 15th of January. Every year, on the day of Ba Den Temple Festival, people from many provinces come to pray for Linh Son Thanh Mau's blessings, up to hundreds of thousands of people.

Nga Nguyen