Hue is vibrant during the festival season and spring travel.

Among the most popular spring destinations in Hue is the Hue Imperial Citadel. During the Lunar New Year, the Hue Ancient Citadel Relics Conservation Center organizes numerous festive activities at the palace for the public and tourists. Here, visitors can immerse themselves in and experience traditional New Year customs and visit typical structures within the imperial palace (Hue Imperial Citadel) such as Ngo Mon Gate, Thai Hoa Palace, Forbidden City, The Mieu Temple, Hien Lam Pavilion, Cuu Dinh, and the Hue Royal Antiquities Museum.

One of the unique rituals reenacted on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month every year is the Thượng Tiêu ceremony (also known as the erection of the ceremonial pole) at the Thế Miếu and Long An Palace.

Erecting the New Year pole – an important ritual at the beginning of the new year during the Nguyen Dynasty – has now become an indispensable tradition in the Hue heritage area. Besides the folk spiritual beliefs, the Nguyen Dynasty's pole-erecting ceremony also served to signal the arrival of Tet (Lunar New Year).

Two bamboo poles, each over 15 meters long, were cut down to the base. The tops of the poles were tied with offerings including amulets or gold seals used to worship deities, ward off evil spirits, and pray for a peaceful new year.

Among the ceremonies at the Hue Imperial Palace are the changing of the guard ceremony, lion and dragon dances, court and folk games (card games, fortune telling, head-to-head games, poetry recitation, and calligraphy demonstrations), traditional martial arts performances, and performances of traditional music (Dai Nhac or Tieu Nhac) to evoke memories of the traditional Lunar New Year.

Photographer Nong Thanh Toan, a local resident of Hue, says that every Tet holiday, he captures the joyful atmosphere of the festivities throughout Hue. "The springtime atmosphere in Hue is filled with golden apricot blossoms, vibrant couplets, and is further enhanced by the gentle beauty of Hue's young women in traditional ao dai dresses, making the dreamy, tranquil, and ancient landscape of Hue even more radiant," he says.

The Lunar New Year festivals in Hue are very attractive, including the fishing festival in Thai Duong Ha village, Hai Duong commune, Huong Tra town. This is a "three-yearly" fishing festival, held every three years with the utmost solemnity compared to traditional annual festivals, taking place from the 10th to the 12th day of the first lunar month.

According to the people of Hue, the purpose of the fishing prayer is to pray for favorable weather and for all the fishermen in the village to have good fortune in their work.

Speaking of unique festivals in Hue, one must mention the Sinh Village wrestling festival, which takes place on the 10th day of the first lunar month in the area of ​​Lai An village communal house (also known as Sinh village) in Phu Mau commune, Phu Vang district.

Beyond the spiritual aspects of the wrestling festival, such as praying for the health of the villagers, bountiful harvests, and a prosperous and happy life, it is also an activity deeply rooted in the spirit of martial arts, encouraging physical training, courage, and resourcefulness among young people.

In addition, there is the traditional "Du Tien" festival held on the second day of the Lunar New Year every year in Dien Hoa commune, Phong Dien district. "Du Tien" refers to a form of double swinging where pairs (one male, one female) of young people compete on the swing during the spring festival.

"The ancient capital of Hue has many attractive spring activities and festivals that are always preserved with the rich traditional cultural identity of the Vietnamese people, promising to attract even more tourists to visit during the Lunar New Year of the Pig 2019," added Mr. Thanh Toan.

Huynh Phuong - Nong Thanh Toan