Changes in Spring festivals

(Baonghean) - Up to this point, most of the major spring festivals in the province have ended. It can be said that this year's festivals took place successfully, safely and economically.

Before entering the festival season, the authorities have strengthened management and the festival is organized in a systematic and strict manner. Thanks to that, the "hot" issues in the festivals such as: environmental pollution, begging, superstition, burning votive papers, praying for peace, warding off bad luck, raising prices, forcing prices, setting service prices against regulations, exchanging small change at high exchange rates... have all been significantly reduced. For example, at the Con Temple Festival this year, there has been much remarkable progress when fortune-telling, superstition, and begging did not occur. Stalls selling incense, fruits, and candies were arranged quite neatly. Games that tricked tourists were controlled, and security and order were ensured. It is noteworthy that the positive changes in the awareness and actions of the people and tourists participating have created the success of the festivals.

In addition to ensuring peace for the festival, an equally important factor to attract tourists from all over the world is the diversity and uniqueness of each region expressed through the festival. This year, many more rituals and spiritual cultural activities have been restored. One such example is the Water Procession Ceremony at the Mai King Temple Festival. This is a spiritual ritual that has existed for thousands of years, with the idea of ​​clearing the turbid, purifying the dirt before entering the festival to commemorate and pay tribute to the king, the national hero Mai Hac De; besides, it also conveys the wish for national peace and prosperity, favorable weather, good crops, and happiness for every family. Mr. Nguyen Thien Dung, Head of the Department of Culture of Nam Dan district, said: The Water Procession Ceremony has been lost for the past 100 years. Responding to the people's wishes and to preserve traditional rituals, the Vietnam Institute of Culture and Arts in collaboration with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the People's Committee of Nam Dan district conducted research, based on records of ancient documents and consulting the contributions of elders to restore the water procession ritual according to traditional customs.

Offering ceremony at Con Temple Festival 2015. Photo: Ho Long

Similarly, in the Thuong Temple Festival of Quynh Nghia Commune (Quynh Luu), Tro Le - a unique performing art form of coastal people has also been restored. Dating back to the late Le Dynasty, Tro Le is a play that recreates the "feats" of the village founder, Quan Quan Truong Dac Phu, in suppressing the rebels of Hop village. Mr. Dinh An - the person assigned to collect and direct Tro Le of Quynh Nghia Commune said: After 1946, due to many reasons, Tro Le gradually faded away. Currently, the People's Committee of Quynh Nghia Commune is organizing the restoration of Tro Le on the basis of selecting the quintessence of the original. Many segments are expressed in Vi and Giam melodies.

In addition to the newly restored rituals, cultural and sports activities were also solemnly organized, attracting the participation of a large number of tourists: at the Mai King Temple Festival, there were competitions in men's volleyball, wrestling, chess, mass art performances, and floating flower lanterns; at the Qua Son Temple Festival, there was a bustling traditional boat race, wrestling, stick pushing, volleyball, cultural and artistic exchanges; at the Van - Cua Rao Temple Festival, in addition to the solemn and sacred ceremony, there were also exciting camping activities, cultural and artistic exchanges, and sports and folk games imbued with regional cultural identity such as stick pushing, swinging, crossbow shooting, throwing balls, and walking on stilts. In the highland district of Ky Son, this year's Pu Nha Thau Festival, in addition to the solemn ceremony with solemn rituals, also took place a lively festival imbued with national cultural identity: national costume competition and folk games such as tug of war, stick pushing, throwing balls, and crossbow shooting. Ms. Cut Thi Nguyet, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ky Son district, shared: The festival is an opportunity to preserve and promote the cultural values ​​of the ethnic groups in Ky Son district, to promote the image of the land and people of the homeland to friends near and far, so the most unique cultural values ​​have been focused on by the district on this occasion... And even at the Hang Bua Festival, although the festival part was not organized this year, during the 3 days of the ceremony, cultural activities of gongs, nhuon xuoi, xang khan, and sam dance were also performed at Chieng Ngam temple and at the People's Committee of Chau Tien commune. It is these unique and special cultural features that have attracted a large number of people.

Carving competition in Pu Nha Thau Temple Festival in Huu Kiem Commune (Ky Son District) Photo: Cong Kien

Festivals are cultural activities, a rich and diverse need of the community for spiritual life, beliefs and religions. To promote the true value of festivals, it is necessary to focus on propaganda and education to make people correctly perceive the purpose of festivals is to promote cultural values, honor and remember the merits of famous people, educate historical traditions, contribute to building a cultural life at the grassroots level with strong national identity and local nuances. It can be said that the 2015 festival season in the province has had many positive changes, many traditional cultural values ​​have been restored and developed, bringing attractive spiritual food to local people and tourists.

In order for festivals to comply with State regulations, all activities at the festival (including the ritual and festival parts) must be civilized, healthy, safe, hygienic, and economical. It is necessary to strengthen inspection, prevent commercialization, and resolutely and strictly handle superstitious activities and gambling in all forms.

Thanh Son - Viet Hung