The Long Tong Festival (in Tuyen Quang Province) is the intangible cultural heritage of the nation

On February 21, 2013 (meaning on the 12th in January based on the lunar calendar), Tuyen Quang Provincial People's Committee and Lam Binh District held the Long Tong festival and received a National Intangible Cultural Heritage for "Long Tong Festival of the Tay ethnic people" in Tuyen Quang Province.

The fork dancing around the Con tree

There are many important people attended into the festival. They include of Secretary of Tuyen Quang Province – Mr. Nguyen Sang Vang, Ms. Dang Thi Bich Lien, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Leaders of the departments of the Tuyen Quang province, other visitors and the people of all nationalities in Lam Binh district.

There is the temple named Pu Bao, which is considered to be very sacred to the Tay ethnic people in Lam Binh district. Here, the main ceremony of the Long Tong festival is held. The worship products are offered, including 9 trays of Tong, which are the agricultural products and made by the indigenous people. The worship products are offered to the gods by nine girls in traditional costume. Then, the trays are brought to the Tong shelf in the middle of the stadium (at the mast foot of the Còn tree.

The ritual sacrifice to heaven-land and the divines is in order to give to the good things and be done by the priests. These people read the vows and begin the ritual to sacrifice the gods as the agricultural deity, the river’s deity, the mountain’s deity, the village's tutelary... These characters are considered to be the impact on production’s activities about agriculture and the life of the Tay ethnic people. Then, a special dance was performed with a means to dispel the dirty stuff to make the festival becomes clean.

At the festival, Ms. Dang Thi Bich Lien, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism has awarded the Certificate of the intangible cultural heritage of the nation for "the Long Tong festival of the Tay ethnic people" in Tuyen Quang Province.

A part festival began with going down field to plow; then, a dance named "Lam Binh’s color-fragrance" is represented by 400 pupils of the Thuong Lam secondary school in the Lam Binh district. Besides, there are the “Then” song and folk games were taken place exciting. They attracted tourists and people to get involved.

Long Tong in the Tay’s language means "going down the field". This is a festival of many factors on spiritual beliefs. This festival also happened a long time ago; and it is an opportunity for farmers to express our gratitude to the gods, ancestors and other people, who have reclaimed land to establish and grow rice and vegetables. The ritual is implemented to pray for better weather, happiness, doing well. The festival has become a beauty in the life of the community. It is a unique culture of the Tay ethnic people. It also contributes to enrich the national cultural treasure in Vietnam.

Plowing at the festival

Because the festival is recognized as the intangible cultural heritage of the nation, so it is an honor and pride, but it also poses challenges in the preservation and promotion of the traditional cultural values, which is popular in Vietnam and also widely promoted overseas.

Dancing

the tug game

Walking on stilts

Currently, the authorities in Tuyen Quang province are very interested in the preservation and promotion of the value of the Long Tong festival. It is contributing to the development of tourism and enhances the spiritual life of the people in this province.

Bac Ninh Quan Ho Folk was established a theatre

According to Mr. Nguyen Van - Director of Department of Culture, Sports & Tourism in the Bac Ninh province said: Quan Ho Bac Ninh Folk’s Theatre was established on the basis of the upgrade the Quan Ho Bac Ninh Folk’s team with the 1196/QD decision of the provincial people's Committee president.

The Quan ho Folk theater is a unit under Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Bac Ninh province.

The theater is performing arts function to serve the needs of the folk enjoy of people, who are interested in it in the world. The theatre’s tasks are such as collecting, research, experimentation, training, teaching, conservation and promotion of the value of Bac Ninh Folk.

The establishment of Bac Ninh Quan Ho Fork Theatre

Its organizational structure consists of three office about the professional works and two offices related to the performing arts.

After 44 years of operation, there were many artists have got many achievements in the professional exams and perform in Vietnam.

Up to nowadays, there are 10 artists of the theater, which has been conferred the title of the elite artists. And an artist was awarded the title of People's Artist.

The establishment of Theatre Quan Ho Bac Ninh Folk is one of the many activities of the province in order to preserve and promote the unique artistic value of the Quan Ho folk songs, which have been recognized as the intangible culture heritage of humanity by UNESCO.

"The beauty of Vietnam traditional culture" is the theme of Huong Pagoda Festival 2013

"Huong" is a name in Vietnamese, which means as Perfume, so we usually call "Huong Pagoda" is Perfume Pagoda. 

This year's festival is with the topic to make the highlight about the cultural - spiritual traditions of Vietnamese. Mr. Nguyen Van Hau, Vice Chairman of My Duc District (Hanoi) said: Huong Pagoda Festival 2013 will be held with the largest scale; and it is also the first event in response Nation Tourism Year of Red River Plain in Hanoi’s Areas.

With the theme as the beauty of Vietnam traditional culture, Huong Pagoda Festival this year will appear with a many activities to honor and introduce to visitors about the festival's traditional values, which have emerged since a long time in the past. It also contributes to the diversity of culture and religion in Vietnam.

This year, the opening of the festival will not be only formally held on 6-January at the Thien Tru ground, but the festival also has many other activities such as: rite about making freely for the life on Yen Stream, the photo exhibition about Vietnamese ancient pagodas and the combination with other excellent culture-art activities.

A photo about Huong Pagoda Festival 2012

To serve the organization of the festival better, as from many months up to the present, My Duc District was active in works such as renovating a number of items, improve infrastructure and ensure security. The district has invested to repair and maintenance for the road systems and including the signposts from Ha Dong festival area to create the favorable conditions for tourists go to this place.

The works which related to ensuring for the environmental hygiene in the festival are especially focused as: Cleaning Yen Streams, doing construction of the public toilets at criteria, creating the layout for trashes in areas and maintaining the force to do garbage collection in multiple locations.

The holders also train about the traffic safety knowledge for the waterways and attitudes to serve the tourists get on the boats (when coming to the Huong pagoda festival, the tourists must go to some special places by using the boat). Many security forces are strengthened to the points of the monument and the key on the tourist focus areas... All are formed to treat any un-wished situation immediately and preserve order for the festival.

In this festive season, My Duc District’s determination is clear to prohibit some activities as the business, advertising and organizing catering services, which are not under the rule. At the present, the basic preparing works are completed; all are ready for holding the festival, which is operated with the longest time annual.