(Baonghean.vn) - On the morning of July 19 (June 16 of the lunar calendar), the 2016 Choong Temple Festival officially opened.
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| Art performance to open the festival |
Attending the event were comrades Tran Cong Duong, Chief of the Provincial Party Committee Office; Le Quoc Khanh, Deputy Head of the Provincial Party Committee's Organizing Committee; Luong Thanh Hai, Head of the Provincial Ethnic Committee, representatives of provincial departments, branches and sectors; leaders of districts in the province, along with thousands of people and tourists from all over the country.
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 | | Delegates attending the festival |
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This is the first time the Choong Temple Festival has been held since the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 3051-QD/UBND on July 16, 2015, recognizing it as a provincial historical and cultural relic. The festival is an opportunity for the Thai ethnic people in the Northwest of Nghe An to remember their roots and to honor the merits of a girl named Nang Phom Hom (Thai means Fragrant Hair Girl) - who had great merit in helping the Lam Son army defeat the Ming invaders in the 15th century.
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| Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tung - Deputy Secretary of District Party Committee, Chairman of Quy Hop District People's Committee delivered the opening speech of the festival. |
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the festival, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tung - Deputy Secretary of the District Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of Quy Hop district, affirmed: Choong Temple Festival is organized with the aim of contributing to educating the tradition of loving the homeland and country; preserving and embellishing the cultural heritage values of the Thai ethnic group in Quy Hop in particular and the Thai ethnic group in the Northwest of Nghe An in general. It also aims to satisfy the people's need for enjoyment and cultural exchange between regions, meeting the sightseeing needs of tourists.
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| Organizing Committee representative presented souvenir flags to 21 communes and towns participating in the festival. |
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| Ms. Vo Thi Minh Sinh - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Secretary of Quy Hop District Party Committee beat the drum to open the festival. |
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| In the sacred atmosphere, delegates and a large number of people and tourists participated in the Great Sacrifice Ceremony. |
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| Leaders of Quy Hop district offer incense in the temple. |
Besides the solemn and respectful rituals, the festival takes place with exciting traditional sports activities such as: Camping, gong competition, carving, bamboo dancing, culinary competition and national costume performance....
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| Happy carving furrows at Choong Temple festival |
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| Gong festival at Choong Temple. |
Previously, on July 18, the Organizing Committee held the Announcement Ceremony, the Procession Ceremony, and organized sports activities. The Choong Temple Festival will end in the afternoon of the same day with the Thanksgiving Ceremony.
Dang Cuong - Ho Phuong
