May in Uncle Ho's homeland
(Baonghean.vn) - Up to this point, all preparations for the 2013 Sen Village Festival and the programs commemorating the 123rd anniversary...
(Baonghean.vn) -By this time, all preparations for the 2013 Lotus Village Festival and the programs commemorating the 123rd anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birthday have been completed. This includes not only the officials and employees of the Kim Lien historical site, but also the local people.
In Kim Lien in May, the sky is a vast, clear blue. The road from National Highway 46 to Lang Sen, though under repair, is adorned with red flags and yellow star banners welcoming visitors to President Ho Chi Minh's birthplace. Throughout the villages and hamlets of both President Ho Chi Minh's paternal and maternal hometowns, the people of Kim Lien commune, without being asked, spontaneously divided up the responsibility of repairing and decorating their houses and hanging national flags to celebrate the 123rd anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birth.
The road from National Highway 46 to the Kim Lien historical site is adorned with flags and flowers.
Residents of Kim Lien commune are repairing and updating the banners and slogans along the roadside.
At the Lotus Village Stadium, the final preparations for the opening ceremony of the 2013 Lotus Village Festival are being completed.
Staff are refurbishing various elements within the Kim Lien historical site complex.
On May 16th, the sun shone brightly, and the Kim Lien historical site was packed with pilgrims visiting President Ho Chi Minh's birthplace. Among the crowd slowly making their way to offer incense at the Ho Chi Minh Memorial, Mr. Nguyen Duc Mai, a veteran from Do Luong district, said that he visits President Ho Chi Minh's birthplace almost every year in May, but each time is filled with emotion. "For a very long time, people like us have always cherished Kim Lien," he said.
This year, on the occasion of the 123rd anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birthday, the entire Party, army, and people are focusing on promoting exemplary models after two years of implementing Directive 03 on "Continuing to promote the study and emulation of Ho Chi Minh's moral example." Therefore, many delegations from within and outside the province, as well as central government delegations, have come to Kim Lien to offer incense and flowers and report to President Ho Chi Minh on the achievements made after two years of implementation. Mr. Nguyen Ba Hoe, Head of the Kim Lien historical site management board, said that from the beginning of May until now, almost every day there have been delegations of exemplary individuals and groups in studying and emulating Ho Chi Minh's moral example from provinces and cities nationwide, as well as districts, towns, and provincial-level agencies in Nghe An province, coming to offer incense and flowers and report their achievements to President Ho Chi Minh.
According to the Kim Lien historical site management board, thousands of people visit President Ho Chi Minh's birthplace every day during the month of May.
All visitors to President Ho Chi Minh's birthplace are deeply moved when they hear the tour guides recount touching stories and see artifacts related to his life.
To prepare well for the Lotus Village Festival and other activities celebrating the 123rd anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birth, since the beginning of April 2013, the Kim Lien Relic Site Management Board has begun preparations with professional training for its staff, fire safety training, security and order maintenance, and renovation of various facilities within the relic site. Mr. Nguyen Ba Hoe said that during May, the staff of the Management Board worked day and night, without taking Saturdays or Sundays off, to serve tens of thousands of visitors from all over the world who came to visit President Ho Chi Minh's birthplace. Despite the hard work, all the staff here feel proud. Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy, a tour guide at the historical site in President Ho Chi Minh's ancestral home, shared that whenever she sees the image of people slowly and respectfully entering to offer incense and flowers, and attentively and emotionally listening to stories about President Ho Chi Minh, the artifacts about his life and his family members, the staff of the Management Board forget all their fatigue and try even harder.
This year, the activities of the Lang Sen Village Festival celebrating President Ho Chi Minh's birthday will be held in two main locations: Vinh City and Kim Lien Commune. From May 17th to 19th, the festival will officially take place with main activities such as a youth camp following President Ho Chi Minh's teachings; a volleyball tournament; a thematic photo exhibition; folk games such as kite flying and swinging; laying flowers in commemoration at Ho Chi Minh Square and a parade to President Ho Chi Minh's birthplace; a procession of President Ho Chi Minh's portrait from the memorial house in the Kim Lien historical site to the Lang Sen Village stadium; the opening ceremony of the Lang Sen Village Festival for the whole province at the Nghe An Folk Song Theater, etc. In particular, the opening ceremony of the 2013 Lang Sen Village Festival at 8 PM on May 17th at the Lang Sen Village stadium will be broadcast live on television for people nationwide to watch.
Nguyen Khoa
;){kind=link}