For a safe and economical holiday season.

(Baonghean)On the occasion of the Lunar New Year, Mr. Pham Tien Dung, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, gave an interview to Nghe An Newspaper regarding the management and organization of traditional festivals in the area.

PV:As a province with numerous festivals taking place at the beginning of the Lunar New Year, could you please tell us about the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism's plan for decentralizing the organization of festival activities in 2014?

Mr. Pham Tien Dung:Every spring, festival management becomes a top priority, requiring relevant agencies to dedicate significant resources and actively coordinate efforts to minimize negative aspects and drawbacks. Every year, ensuring a truly clean festival season remains a constant concern for us. As the managing agency, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued a document outlining the festival organization plan to all relevant levels as early as December 2013. Therefore, in 2014, 25 festivals will be held in our province (including both traditional folk festivals and historical/revolutionary festivals).

Provincial-level festivals include the Sen Village Festival, associated with the birthday of beloved President Ho Chi Minh; district-level festivals include: the King Mai Temple Festival, the Van Loc Temple Festival, the Hang Bua Festival, the Corn Temple Festival, the Qua Son Temple Festival, the Nguyen Xi Temple Festival, the Duc Hoang Temple Festival, the Thanh Liet Temple Festival, the Bach Ma Temple Festival, the Vac Village Festival, the Chin Gian Temple Festival, the Cuong Temple Festival, the Mon Son Luc Da Festival, the Cua Lo Tourism Festival, the Nguyen Canh Hoan Temple Festival, the "Drinking Water, Remembering the Source" Festival, the Hong Son Temple Festival, the Hoang Muoi Temple Festival, and the Van - Cua Rao Temple Festival. Commune-level festivals include: the Pan Pang - Nang Ny Festival, the Pu Nha Thau Festival, and the Cua - Nghi Khanh Temple Festival. In addition to the above festivals, our province also has many other festivals of various ethnic groups and localities. The Department requests the Provincial Center for Culture and Sports, the Management Board of Historical Sites and Scenic Spots, the General Museum, and the Soviet Museum to be responsible for providing professional guidance; The Departments and Centers of Culture and Information in districts, cities, and towns are directed to strictly implement the Law on Cultural Heritage and other regulations, decisions, and directives so that the 2014 festival can be held seriously, healthily, economically, and in a manner that preserves the national cultural identity.

Drum and gong performance at the Lang Vac Village Festival. Photo: Sy Minh

PV:To ensure a safe and economical festival season that preserves the cultural values ​​of our ancestors, what specific directives has the Department issued regarding the management and organization of festivals, sir?

Mr. Pham Tien Dung:Admittedly, in recent times, the management and organization of festivals have seen many positive and effective changes. For example, overcrowding and negative incidents at some festivals have decreased, and the chaotic behavior of stalls and vendors harassing tourists has also been reduced. At the beginning of the 2014 Spring Festival season, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism promptly advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue a document on strengthening the management and organization of festival activities in 2014, directing inspection and supervision work, and coordinating with localities to ensure a safe festival season, contributing to preserving and promoting good traditional customs and practices. The Department also coordinated with relevant units to implement the State Bank's document requesting functional agencies to cooperate in inspecting and handling individuals and organizations that engage in the business of exchanging small denominations of money for personal gain.

The organizing committees of the festivals are required to strictly implement regulations, prohibiting the exchange of small denominations of money within the historical site area. Drawing on lessons learned from previous festival seasons, starting in late 2013, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism proactively planned and directed localities with festival activities to effectively implement three requirements. Firstly, all festivals must have serious, complete, and focused plans and scripts. Traditional festivals must ensure both the ceremonial and celebratory aspects. The celebratory part should prioritize the restoration of folk games and traditional sports that are unique to each region. Secondly, the ceremonial part must be standardized: the chief officiant must be the Chairman or Vice-Chairman of the People's Committee; the ceremonial text must be accurate, closely follow the theme, be concise, and last approximately 15-20 minutes; offerings must be placed according to requirements while still maintaining the characteristics of each festival. Thirdly, strictly prohibit all forms of superstition, fortune-telling, and games with prizes that negatively impact the cultural and spiritual activities of the festival. Special attention should be paid to ensuring security and order, prohibiting the use of firecrackers, and maintaining a clean environment from the beginning to the end of the festival.

To effectively address this issue, in addition to the involvement of local authorities, the Department, in coordination with relevant agencies, established inspection teams along Routes 7, 48, and 46, focusing primarily on districts with major festivals such as the Hoang Muoi Temple Festival (Hung Nguyen), Corn Temple Festival (Hoang Mai), Qua Son Temple Festival (Do Luong), Cuong Temple Festival (Dien Chau), Nguyen Xi Temple Festival (Nghi Loc), and the King Mai Festival (Nam Dan)... Each location has a team leader who is an official in charge of historical sites or cultural heritage, along with members responsible for inspecting everything from the script and ceremonial activities to visual propaganda and promotion. The aim is to mobilize social participation in festival management, ensuring that festivals belong to the people and fulfilling their spiritual and cultural needs.

PV:In recent years, many problems in festivals, such as fortune-telling, the widespread burning of votive paper, and placing small change on altars, still persist, significantly affecting the identity of traditional festivals. As the managing agency, what specific solutions has the department implemented to address these issues, sir?

Mr. Pham Tien Dung:It can be affirmed that many festivals still openly feature unsightly activities such as gambling, fortune telling, card games, etc., scenes of pilgrims crowding and jostling at places of worship, littering in the grounds of historical sites, placing money in inappropriate places, and persistent soliciting and harassment of visitors. To overcome these shortcomings, first and foremost, local authorities need to strengthen public awareness campaigns through mass media to change people's perceptions and encourage them to be more conscious of protecting historical sites and ensuring environmental hygiene.

In particular, the management boards of the historical sites where the festivals take place need to strictly manage activities that take on distorted forms and severely punish violations. Specifically, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, starting from the twelfth lunar month, has assigned the Provincial Center for Culture and Sports and the Management Board of Historical Sites and Scenic Spots to conduct training on festival management for officials in charge of cultural heritage, temple and pagoda management boards, etc. At the same time, an inter-agency inspection team has been established, assigning supervisors to historical sites along specific routes. Local authorities are required to strictly prohibit such practices; violations will be handled by the inter-agency inspection team of the Department in accordance with the Provincial People's Committee's decision on implementing civilized lifestyles in weddings, funerals, and festivals.

Overall, strengthening guidance and management after each festival season has yielded positive results, contributing to meeting healthy spiritual needs, enhancing cultural enjoyment and creativity, promoting community interaction, and boosting economic development. However, many shortcomings remain in festivals, and completely overcoming them is not easy, because cultural matters cannot be addressed simply through administrative penalties. Therefore, to purify festivals, in addition to improving legal documents, enhancing management capacity, strengthening inspection and enforcement, the most important thing is to educate the public about the meaning of the festivals, thereby raising awareness and responsibility within the community and among individuals participating in them.

PV:Thank you, sir!

Thanh Thuy(perform)