In the minds of the people of Nghe An, the "Full Moon of the Seventh Month" is considered the most important festival of the year.

A holiday celebrating our roots.

In national tradition, the 15th day of the seventh lunar month is both a dayVu Lan Festival, which is also the day"Forgiveness for the deceased"According to folk beliefs, on the night of the 14th and the morning of the 15th of the 7th lunar month each year, the "Gate of Ghosts" is opened to allow "wandering souls in the underworld" to return to the mortal world to reunite with their loved ones. Therefore, on this day, people often hold the Ghost Festival to pray for the salvation of wandering souls who have no place to rest. The Ghost Festival is also an opportunity for descendants in the mortal world to remember their deceased grandparents and ancestors through many traditional activities.

The Vu Lan Festival originates from the story of Mục Kiền Liên sacrificing himself to save his mother. He followed the Buddha's instructions and, on that day...Full Moon of the Seventh MonthTogether with everyone, they prepared offerings and sincerely prayed, saving their mother from her imprisonment in the "realm of demons." When Buddhism was introduced to Vietnam, Buddhist culture "incarnated" into the feelings and thoughts of the Vietnamese people. The Vu Lan Festival coincides with the full moon of the seventh lunar month - the Mid-Autumn Festival of the Vietnamese people.

Bustling rural market on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month in Nghe An. Photo: Huy Thu.

The Vu Lan Festival, a celebration of filial piety, expresses reverence for the nurturing love of parents, encouraging people to cherish what they have in the present and to do good deeds while they are alive. The Festival of Atonement for Deceased Souls, on the other hand, is a ceremony to pray for the souls of those who have no one to worship them. With its immense spiritual value, the Vu Lan Festival contributes to maintaining and strengthening family morality, upholding filial piety to remind everyone of their duty as children. Filial piety has become an important standard for evaluating a person's character, a beautiful moral principle in our nation's tradition.

Furthermore, "forgiving the deceased" is a concept of tolerance, expressing both compassion for those who are less fortunate and showing altruism towards fellow human beings. Every year, on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month - the Vu Lan Festival - the Mid-Autumn Festival, people turn their thoughts to their families, hometowns, and ancestors to express their love and respect for their parents, grandparents, ancestors, and the Buddha...

Ancestral altar for the full moon of the seventh lunar month at the Tran Vo family ancestral temple in Thanh Dong commune (Thanh Chuong district). Photo: Huy Thu

The full moon of the seventh lunar month has become ingrained in the minds of the people of Nghe An as one of the most important holidays of the year: "The whole year is like the full moon of the seventh lunar month, the whole year is like the full moon of the first lunar month." Besides ancestor worship (and Buddhist worship of Buddha) and offerings to departed souls, the full moon is also an occasion for families and clans to reunite and gather. Therefore, on this occasion, many rural areas of Nghe An, such as Do Luong, Yen Thanh, Dien Chau, Thanh Chuong, Nam Dan, Nghi Loc, Hung Nguyen, etc., organize celebrations and feasts for the full moon with a lively and festive atmosphere.

Depending on local customs and traditions, the rituals and feasts on the Full Moon Festival vary from place to place. Ha Huy Nam (31 years old) from Trung Phuc Cuong commune (Nam Dan district) said: “This Full Moon Festival in the seventh lunar month, my family and relatives are holding a ceremony at the ancestral temple. On the afternoon of the 14th, the descendants go to Dong Son mountain to light incense and invite their ancestors to come and celebrate the festival. On the morning of the 15th, we will gather at the temple to prepare the offerings. Everyone pitches in to prepare the chicken, pork, and sticky rice… it’s very joyful.”

Mr. Dang Thanh Cong (32 years old) from Hanh Lam commune (Thanh Chuong district) shared: “The 15th day of the 7th lunar month is the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival of our nation. In my hometown, each family usually brings a tray of sticky rice and chicken to the ancestral temple to offer sacrifices on the 15th. Many families offer sacrifices at noon on the 14th, while others offer them at noon on the 15th. After the sacrifices and feasting, some clans organize the distribution of scholarships to children with outstanding academic achievements. On this day, the temples in the commune also have ceremonies organized by the hamlets to pray for favorable weather and good fortune for the people.”

Sticky rice and chicken offering for the full moon of the seventh lunar month. Photo: Huy Thu

The atmosphere of preparation for the Mid-Autumn Festival is most evident in rural markets. From the 13th day of the seventh lunar month, rural markets are unusually bustling, and the 14th is the busiest day, with people shopping for the festival. Fruits and betel nuts are important offerings for the festival, and no matter how rare or expensive they are, every household must acquire them. Beautiful bunches of betel nuts from gardens all over the country are brought to the market on the Mid-Autumn Festival day.

Boiled chicken is an indispensable dish in the offerings for the full moon festival. Mothers and grandmothers always try to find and buy free-range roosters with firm meat to prepare the feast. The full moon market differs from regular markets not only in the crowds and the sudden increase in the quantity of goods, but most noticeably in the abundance of fruit and votive offerings. To prepare properly for the full moon of the seventh lunar month, with the belief that "The whole year is blessed by the full moon of the seventh lunar month, and the whole year is blessed by the full moon of the first lunar month," people throughout the villages of Nghe An province are bustling to the market to celebrate the festival.

Preserve the warmth of pilgrimages "back to the roots".

As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, people from Nghe An province who study, work, or live far from home turn their thoughts towards their homeland. In previous years, flights and buses from all regions would rush back to their roots in a warm and joyful journey. This year, however, the Covid-19 pandemic is unfolding in a complex manner, with many localities nationwide under lockdown. Those living far away cannot return home for the Mid-Autumn Festival as usual, especially those in the epicenter of the outbreak.

Therefore, celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival this year will be different for many people living far from home, both domestically and abroad. Dao Danh Long (28 years old), originally from Dong Son commune (Do Luong district) and currently working in Gunma province (Japan), shared: “I’ve been away from home for 5 years. I planned to return for the Mid-Autumn Festival, but due to the pandemic, I couldn’t. These days leading up to the festival, seeing my hometown preparing for it on social media makes me incredibly homesick.”

Young women from Thanh Chuong carry offerings of sticky rice and chicken to worship on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month. Photo: Huy Thu.

To celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival (the 15th day of the 7th lunar month), usually on the afternoon of the 14th, family members and relatives will go to the cemetery to light incense for the deceased, "inviting" their ancestors and relatives back to the family home for a reunion. Besides buying food, every household prepares and decorates the altar, arranging a tray of five kinds of fruit... In the past, on each Mid-Autumn Festival, families would often jointly slaughter a pig and grind a large quantity of sticky rice. Nowadays, "food" is no longer as important as before, but everyone still prepares the "ceremony" meticulously with heartfelt reverence.

The feast on the 15th day of the lunar month is usually a savory feast with a full range of dishes, prepared by the women and mothers themselves, but it cannot be without "steamed sticky rice and boiled chicken". Buddhist families also prepare a vegetarian feast to offer to the Buddha. According to folk beliefs, the 15th day of the seventh lunar month is the day of atonement for the deceased, therefore the feast on this day also includes rice, salt, puffed rice, rice porridge, etc., to distribute to wandering souls.

A feast offered on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month at the Nguyen Gia family ancestral temple in Dai Dong commune (Thanh Chuong district). Photo: Huy Thu.

Offering sacrifices at the Full Moon Festival in families or ancestral temples is an important ritual on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month. Every family first offers sacrifices to the gods and Buddha; if not Buddhist, they offer sacrifices to the earth god first, then to their ancestors. After preparing a lavish feast and arranging everything meticulously, descendants gather in the family hall to listen to the recitation of prayers, remember their ancestors, light incense, and bow to the gods, Buddha, and ancestors, praying for health, peace, and good fortune.

Each full moon festival is also a time for people to gather, socialize, exchange information about their origins, family relationships, and blood ties, and inquire about the health, work, and studies of their children and grandchildren near and far. The ritual of sharing food, distributing blessings, and celebrating the full moon festival also takes place in a warm and convivial atmosphere.

The ritual of offering sacrifices on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month at the Tran Vo family ancestral temple in Thanh Dong commune (Thanh Chuong district).

The 15th day of the seventh lunar month – the Mid-Autumn Festival – the Vu Lan Festival, a day for people to turn their thoughts towards their roots, family, homeland, and lineage with sacred and precious feelings. For over a thousand years, this beautiful and humane tradition has been preserved and nurtured by people throughout Nghe An province, in the spirit of preserving and promoting traditional cultural values.