Provincial Party Secretary and Provincial People's Committee Chairman attended the Spring Writing Ceremony at Dai Tue Pagoda

Also attending were comrades: Vo Thi Minh Sinh - Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Nghe An province; comrades of the Provincial Party Executive Committee: Le Ngoc Hoa - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Kha Van Tam - Deputy Head of the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda Department; Pham Trong Hoang - Chief of the Provincial Party Committee's Office; leaders of the Provincial Party Committee's Mass Mobilization Committee, Provincial Police, Provincial People's Committee Office and Provincial Religious Committee. Photo: Thanh Duy

On the side of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, there were Most Venerable Elder Thich Thanh Dam - Deputy Supreme Patriarch of the Central Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha; Most Venerable Thich Tho Lac - Member of the Secretary of the Central Executive Council, Head of the Central Cultural Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, Deputy Standing Committee of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha of Nghe An province, Head of the Organizing Committee.

The Spring Opening and Calling for Wisdom Festival has been held at Dai Tue Pagoda on Dai Hue Mountain, Nam Anh Commune, Nam Dan District, Nghe An Province since 2012 and has increasingly spread, attracting a large number of people and tourists inside and outside the province to participate, creating a meaningful cultural activity in early spring.

Provincial Party Secretary and Chairman of Nghe An Provincial People's Committee Thai Thanh Quy beats the drum to open the festival. Photo: Thanh Cuong

In his opening speech, Venerable Thich Tho Lac - Head of the Central Cultural Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, Deputy Standing Committee of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha of Nghe An province, Head of the Organizing Committee said that the unique feature of the spring writing festival to pray for wisdom as well as when designing the parallel sentences at Dai Tue pagoda is that the writers (giving the words) and the recipients (requesting the words) only use the national language.

Through this symbolic image, the Organizing Committee wishes to build a special identity of Vietnamese Buddhism; of the national soul and quintessence of Vietnam and of Dai Tue Pagoda.

Comrade Thai Thanh Quy - Alternate member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee presented flowers to the festival organizing committee. Photo: Thanh Cuong

“With the earnest wish that the Buddha's light of compassion be spread everywhere, that the awakening in each person's heart be lit, that each person's body, speech, and mind be guided by wisdom, that our children study hard for the prosperity of the nation, for the Vietnamese cultural identity to be preserved for thousands of years,” Venerable Thich Tho Lac stated the purpose of the opening ceremony at the end of his opening speech.

Attending the opening ceremony of praying for wisdom, Provincial Party Secretary and Chairman of Nghe An Provincial People's Committee Thai Thanh Quy presented a flower basket to the Organizing Committee, beat the drum to open the festival and participated in the opening ceremony of spring.

Most Venerable Elder Thich Thanh Dam - Deputy Supreme Patriarch of the Central Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, writes the first words of spring. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Comrade Thai Thanh Quy - Alternate member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee opened the spring writing. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Highly appreciating the spiritual and cultural activities held on the occasion of the Canh Ty Spring Festival at Dai Tue Pagoda, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Ngoc Hoa emphasized: The writing festival to pray for wisdom is a beautiful national cultural feature, a sacred activity to start a new year bearing the traditional imprint of the homeland.

On this occasion, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha of Nghe An province in general and Dai Tue Pagoda in particular presented a solidarity house to a poor household in Nam Anh commune, Nam Dan district.

Most Venerable Thich Tho Lac - Head of the Central Cultural Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, Deputy Standing Committee of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha of Nghe An province presented calligraphy to the Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghe An province. Photo: Thanh Duy

Dai Tue Pagoda, also known as Cao Pagoda, is an ancient temple located on the highest peak of Dai Hue mountain range, in Nam Anh commune, Nam Dan district, Nghe An province.

The pagoda was built during the reign of King Mai Hac De. In the 15th century, the pagoda was restored by King Ho Quy Ly to worship Buddha Mother Dai Tue - the Buddha symbolizing the Wisdom of Prajna, acting as a compass to guide practitioners to attain Buddhahood.

Many people came to ask for calligraphy at the opening ceremony. Photo: Thanh Cuong

The pagoda is located at an altitude of 500m above sea level, the highest point of the pagoda is Thang Thien peak, which looks like a natural brush pen from afar. Especially, although it is at the highest point of Dai Hue range, the ancient well of the pagoda is always full of clear water all year round like an inkstone, and Dai Hue peak looks like a brush pen.