Correcting existing problems and bringing festivals into order

That was the frank assessment of the leaders of the Department of Culture and Sports and representatives of affiliated units, Department of Culture and Sports of districts, cities and towns at the Conference to review the management and organization of festivals in 2018 and deploy tasks for 2019, taking place on the afternoon of November 30.

Conference scene. Photo: Phuoc Anh

Reporting on the organization and management of festivals in 2018, Ms. Tran Thi My Hanh - Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Sports affirmed that the state management of festivals has basically been strictly implemented; through the organization of festivals, the system of relics, the work of protecting and promoting the value of relics has been well implemented. Issues such as implementing a civilized lifestyle; organizing service activities, managing funds collected from services in the festival area; collecting and spending donations... have many positive changes.

However, the conference also pointed out many limitations in the management and organization of festivals last year. Accordingly, some festivals in the delta are still monotonous, following a common pattern; tourists still lack awareness in preserving environmental hygiene, behave unculturedly, and wear inappropriate ceremonial costumes; some festivals also have many worshiping and ritual teams appearing at the same time, encroaching on temple space... Besides, there are still some commercial activities, taking advantage of festivals and relics to make profits; vehicle parking contracts, inconsistent parking prices...

Panorama of Hoang Muoi Temple during the 2018 festival. Photo: Thanh Cuong

At the conference, representatives of some districts, cities and towns presented the current situation of festival management and organization; at the same time, made some recommendations and proposals. For example, at the Hoang Muoi Temple Festival, a representative of the Department of Culture and Information of Hung Nguyen district said that in reality, the ceremony at the festival was carried out very methodically, attracting the attention of local people and tourists from all over, but the festival activities were not very exciting, and the number of tourists participating was not much.

"We propose that the festival should only be held once every 3 or 4 years to avoid waste and save money for other practical activities," said the Deputy Head of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hung Nguyen district.

Regarding Tuong Duong district - where the Van - Cua Rao Temple festival is held, Mr. Vi Sat Son - Head of the Department of Culture and Information shared that in recent years, the festival has created a spiritual and cultural highlight, attracting tens of thousands of visitors each year. However, to further promote the value of the relic and the festival, Tuong Duong district proposed to move the festival to the second lunar month every year, because this time coincides with the harvest time of the local people and the blooming of the Bauhinia flowers.

“If we move the date to February when people have finished harvesting, we will design booths to sell local products, creating more unique features for the festival. On the other hand, last year Tuong Duong district deployed mass planting of Bauhinia flowers in the town area and Xa Luong commune, giving tourists more places to visit and take photos,” said Mr. Vi Sat Son.

Carrying a palanquin during the vomiting race at the Con Temple festival in 2018. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Taking note of the comments at the conference, the leaders of the Department of Culture and Sports outlined tasks and solutions to improve the management and organization of festivals. Regarding the proposals and recommendations, the Department of Culture and Sports will continue to study with localities to make adjustments in accordance with the practical situation and legal regulations.

Nghe An is a province with a large number of historical and scenic relics with 2,602 relics, of which 424 have been ranked; 127 festivals (traditional festivals account for 96%), of which 29 festivals are in the province's festival management list. Currently, there are 5 traditional festivals that have been recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and included in the list of national intangible cultural heritage; 2 festivals are submitting application procedures./.