A pilgrimage to Yen Tu Festival is a deeply meaningful journey for any true Vietnamese Buddhist and a fascinating experience for sightseers.

Dong Pagoda is located 1,068m above sea level at the top of Yen Tu Mountain in the north-eastern coastal province of Quang Ninh. Yen Tu is known for its ancient solemn, silent pagodas, shrines and towers that mingle with the majestic mountains. It has been a centre of Buddhism for centuries, and is the homeland of the Buddhist Truc Lam sect. Travellers go to the Yen Tu Festival to get away from their everyday lives and make a religious pilgrimage to the pagodas in the middle of a spectacular natural environment.

The history…

Under the Ly dynasty, Phu Van pagoda was in Yen Tu and Yen Ky Sinh was its warden. Yen Tu only really became a major Buddhist centre when Emperor Tran Nhan Tong abdicated his throne to establish the Thien Truc Lam Buddhist sect and become its first leader under the religious name Dieu Ngu Giac Hoang Tran Nhan Tong (1258-1308). He ordered the construction of hundreds of religious buildings on Yen Tu Mountain that were suitable for teaching and following a religious life.

After his death, his successor, Phap Loa Dong Kien Cuong (1284 – 1330), the second leader of Thien Truc Lam, compiled a set of books “Thach that ngon ngu” and built 800 pagodas, shrines and towers containing thousands of valuable statues during the 19 years of his religious life. The famous Quynh Lam and Ho Thien pagodas were built during this time.

The third progenitor of Thien Truc Lam was Huyen Quang Ly Dao Tai (1254 – 1334), who established the Buddhist teaching centre Phap Loa.

The mountain scenery, beautiful pagodas and hermitages, inspired King Tran Nhan Tong, who ruled the country from 1279 to 1293, to pass the throne to his son so he could lead the life of a Buddhist monk at Yen Tu. He founded the Truc Lam meditation sect, which made Yen Tu the country’s leading Buddhist center.

During the Le and Nguyen dynasties, Yen Tu became the focal point of Vietnamese Buddhism and underwent a number of restorations. It is a confluence of different historical styles, as evidence in the many different patterns and ornamental elements that decorate the structures.

… and the festival

Yen Tu Festival begins annually on the 10th day of the first lunar month and lasts for three months. Tens of thousands of pilgrims start their journey to the uppermost shrine with a solemn ritual at the base of Yen Tu Mountain.

During the months of the festival, people flock from near and far to the Buddhist land to express their devotion and aspirations or to rid themselves of sorrows and sadness. Others go to Yen Tu for sightseeing and to enjoy the pure, clean air of the mountain region. Foreigners visit Yen Tu to see the famous, mysterious tourist attraction and beauty spot. Many cultural and historical relics are carefully preserved in Yen Tu, and it is also home to a rare ecosystem.

Among the wide variety of vestiges in Yen Tu, there are 11 pagodas and hundreds of shrines and towers. Pilgrims climb the mountain on a path through the forest to see Dong Pagoda at the peak 1,068m above sea level, passing by pagodas, a tower, and a stream that appear and disappear under the thick foliage along the way. After burning joss-sticks at the top, it is as if you are lost in nature somewhere between the earth and sky. On a clear day, you can see almost all the northeastern area from here.

The pilgrimage route from the foot of the mountain to the pagoda is nearly 30 km long, however you can get to Hoa Yen Pagoda at 534m above sea level via the new cable car and see two beautiful 700-year-old frangipani trees. From there, you will feel you are walking on clouds as you walk up the stairs to minor pagodas along the path leading to Dong Pagoda.

The faithful visit the sites along the path to pay homage and show their devotion, or find consolation for their troubles. Those who make it all the way to Dong pagoda will experience the magnificence of Yen Tu’s forests and on top of Yen Tu Mountain, one feels like they’re standing at Heaven’s Gate shrouded in white clouds.

Source: VOV

According to the city’s plan, artistic programs will be held for suburban people, especially in remote and disadvantaged areas, and relics, opened for visitors.

The festival, themed “Flower Heritage”, aims to honor cultural heritages of Hà Nội that have been recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said Deputy Director of the Hà Nội Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyễn Khắc Lợi.

It is part of activities to promote cultural tourism in the capital city and respond to the National Tourism Year 2012, which takes the theme of “Heritage Tourism”.

In the framework of the event, a wide range of activities will be also organized, including flower arranging competitions, folk games, exhibitions of ornamental plants, and a showcase of handicraft and tourism products.

]]> http://vietnam-travel.org/travel-news/ha-noi-to-hold-flower-festival-2012/feed/ 0 http://vietnam-travel.org/vietnam-culture/going-to-the-field-or-long-tong-festival-of-the-giay/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=going-to-the-field-or-long-tong-festival-of-the-giay http://vietnam-travel.org/vietnam-culture/going-to-the-field-or-long-tong-festival-of-the-giay/#comments Thu, 08 Dec 2011 09:16:32 +0000 huongbui http://www.vietnam-travel.org/?p=4269 Time: The thin day of the first lunar month.
Place: Ta Van Commune, Sa Pa District, Lao Cai Province.
Objects of worship: The Heaven, the Earth, the God of rice.
Characteristics: Praying for good crop festival.
Every year, on the thin day of the first lunar month, the Giay in Sa Pa organize their special festival. The worship ceremony is held at ngo hours (12 o’clock at midnoon). The sorcerer wears blue dress, offer sacrifices to Heaven, Earth, God of rice, pray for Spirits in protecting crops, and having a good crop.
After the worshipping ceremony, villagers take part in traditional games such as bow-shooting, cross-bow shooting, horse racing, con throwing, tug of rope, stick pushing.

The size, social contempt Pha, Nepal Chew, Son La province is known for its unique culture with bold ethnic identity of the Thais, and along with the festival, “Pang Kin Then” – festival of the White Thai people.

Festival, “Pang Kin Then” is the festival’s typical white people in Quynh Thai Chew. “Then” is that oracles are conceived as more high-handed; regarded as oracles of heaven sent to earth to save people from sickness, disease, and have the ability to communicate with spirits . Every year, on the occasion of the year, celebrated oracles offerings and meet the child (which is the oracles who have been healed from illness).

Festival, “Pang Kin Then” was organized on a large scale, not the adopted children and people in the participants, but also many other villagers in the well attended. Time can also be extended from three to four days, depending on the number of adopted children to the “Then” more or less. In the days of the festival, people in villages along the sky offering thanks and pray to a new year and all the good luck to the village.

Like many other festivals, the festival, “Pang Kin Then” is composed of two main parts of the ceremony and the Assembly. Then Section ceremony with traditional singing. Through song, Then he offered to the villagers in the in the visualization to a new year with many good things, people stay healthy, prosperous, pray for good weather and air, for better weather, and the same it’s Thanksgiving with the children for their parents. Also, “Pang Kin Then” is the festival for happiness and fortune to the family and children, is an occasion to thank the teachers in children

Responding to the lyrics Then, dance, folk-rock sound as rain games (the game Then ask him to heaven to rain down for better weather), games plowing, picking mushrooms, dance scarf, increases by increasing bu dance, dance … created within spreading joyful excitement air, attracted the villagers to participate. Besides, the festival is an opportunity for boys and girls in the, in the visualization to meet and express themselves through singing, dancing. And after the festival, so many couples have married, the husband.

Besides the deep spiritual meaning, the festival, “Pang Kin Then” also reminds people that live up to moral commitment to the village, that the. In offering his Then have the reminder and advised the children that:

“… Be sure to eat their
Do not forget the horse is going to walk … ”

Festival, “Pang Kin Then” is a festival of high community and contribute positively to foster national unity, education and traditional sources of drinking water, remember, make the atmosphere cheerful and healthy. The festival is a unique culture, a folk oratorio form a unique, contributing to building and developing Vietnam culture advanced, strong national identity.

Thanh Giong (Thánh Gióng) festival is called also festival of Phu Dong (Phù Đổng) village (popular name is Giong village). This is one of the largest festival of the the North Delta, a big scene of history – culture represents the legend of the victory of Thanh Giong before the invaders An (Ân).

From Hanoi, to come to Phu Dong village, it is necessary to pass through Gia Lam (Gia Lâm), follow the 1st national towards Bắc Ninh province, all right to Duong (Đuống) bridge. After the bridge and 7 km towards the right, it is the destination. One can see, from the dyke, the Thuong (Thượng) temple, a rather monumental temple, the former architecture. It is the place of worshiping Thanh Giong – celestial King Phu Dong. The books in the temple say that little Giong was born after his poor mother of Gióng village, once in the field, finding mark of a big foot, she tries it his foot and is pregnant when back to home. This little one, that says nothing nor laugh, asked the king, before the invasion danger of the country, to produce a horse in iron, an arms in iron and a cuirass in iron and gets up as a giant, after eating seven wide flat baskets of the rice and three others of egg-plant, jumping on the horse, carrying the arms and use the whip, the bamboos of village to hunt the invaders. The invaders driven out, Gióng rides horse to the Sóc mount. He left there the arms and the cuirass, flew with the horse in the sky.

The history is an unending subject of the heroism of Vietnamese young people: low age but high will, ordinary but extraordinary, always ready before danger of the country and again unknown inhabitants after hunting the invaders.

The temple architecture makes known that it is constructed from the XI century under the Ly (Lý). Each year, April 9th lunar calendar, (the victory day of Gióng on the invaders An), the inhabitants from all corners come to celebrate the feast in this village.

The Giong village festival is celebrated on a big scene of 3 km long composite of Thuong temple, Mau (Mẫu) temple (consecrated to Giong’s mother) and Kien So (Kiến Sơ) pagoda. The festival begins April 6th. During these days, the villagers celebrate the ceremony to accompany the flag to the Mau temple and the vegetarian rice (rice with egg-plants – preferred dishes of Gióng) to Thuong temple. The day D (April 9th), this is the ceremony to transport in hammock from Mau temple to Thuong temple and reorganize the war (imitating the victory on the invaders An). The 10th, this is the ceremony of review troops in honor of Giong. The 11th, the ceremony of washing the weapons, the 12th the ceremony of accompanying the flag to inform to sky and earth the victory… at last, this is the ceremony of regaling fighters and the folk opera the night. Besides the principal festival in Phu Dong village, certain places celebrate also Giong festival: Sóc temple festival (Xuan Dinh(Xuân Đỉnh )commune, Tu Liem (Từ Liêm) district), Soc Son (Sóc Sơn) festival (Soc Son district), Phu Giong (Phù Gióng) festival; Bo Dau (Bộ Đầu) festival…

Among all the festivals in Hanoi, the Giong village one is organized on the most monumental spread. This is a good occasion for the participants to see the rites of a festival system with the well prepared and serious, very artistic and symbolic activities. In same place, each has the occasion to feel the multilateral relation between the village and the country, the individual and the community, the past and the present, the reality and the imagination, the sacred and the world, all is safeguarded as a cultural good to transmit to the descendants.

Cau Ngu Festival

Ca Ong Festival (or Worshing Whale Festival) appeared thoundsands of years ago in Da Nang City as the biggest festival of fishermen in this land. With local residents, worshing Ca Ong is not only concerned with showing gratitude with the Whale Genie but also attaching to the whole village’s prosperity. “Ông” which means “you mister” is the way Da Nang’s fishermen call whales who cure them from accidents when fishing on the ocean.Hence, whenever finding a whale drifting on shore, all fishermen in the village  inter “him” together carefully.

Annually, after Tet celebration, Ca Ong Festival is organized by locals together with praying for rain activity and ceremony starting up a new fishing season. This festival is really popular in some certain coastal reagions of Da Nang like Man Thai, Tho Quang, Thanh Loc Dan, Xuan Ha, Hoa Hiep Villages, etc.

The festival lasts for 2 days in the mid-March of Lunar Calendar with officical worshiping activities celebrated on the second day. In these days, every family’s altars are decorated really carefully and holy with lots of offerings. All the fishing ships are decorated beautifully with flowers and lamps and one ceremony group including village’s prestigious and virtue elders is formed.

The leader of ceremony group will , on behalf of villagers, offer offerings respectfully and give a speech to show the gratitude to Ca Ong ( The Whale Genie) and pray for an abundant and safe fishing season. At dawn of the following day, ceremory activities will be held up on the ocean or held all over the neighbourhood to show the unity among fishing villages. There are also some traditional games such as swimming, football, tug of war and regatta, etc taking place in this occation. Many folk songs and trational plays also performed. Cau Ngu Festival reflects the desire of local fishermen who suffer from lots of risk when fishing on the sea  for a peaceful life

Quan The Am Festival (Goddness of Mercy Festival)

Quan The Am Festival is celebrated annually in Ngu Hanh Son Tourist Base of Da Nang City. It was first organized in 1962, for the inauguration of the Avalokiesvara Bodhisattva statue in Hoa Nghiem cave at Thuy Son, west of Ngu Hanh Son Mountains. The same year, the festival was reorganized in Kim Son cave after the construction of the Quan The Am Pagoda on the Kim Son Mount. Until 1991, this festival was organized annually on a large scale and celebrations lasted for three entire days. Like other traditional festivals, Quan Am (Avalokitesvara) Festival on Ngu Hanh Son, Danang consists of two parts: the religious ceremony and the festival itself. The former takes place with the rituals of Buddhism: The ceremony to worship spring with full rituals; The ceremony of beginning sutra chanting (this ceremony is to pray for peaceful country and prosperous people); The ceremony of giving alms to the wandering souls (the monks pray the Buddha for peace and happiness to the living and for freedom from suffering to the souls of the death); The preaching sessions (about culture, arts); Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva statue procession. Activities at the festival: Camping; Boat race; Art performances; “Light” procession; Night-time Lantern Festival; Several other cultural activities.

Chua Ang (Ang pagoda), one of the oldest Khmer pagodas in Vietnam, lies peacefully amidst gigantic Dau trees, adjacent to Ao Ba Om, a lovely square lake surrounded by hundreds years old trees, 30-40 meters tall. Without any doubt, it is the most frequented place by lovers, youth and all poetic souls of Tra Vinh, a green province located between two branches of the Mekong river, home to over 300.000 Khmers, which is one forth of the Khmer community in Vietnam

Today, chua Ang is more crowded and animated than usual. It is Chol Chnam Thmay, the Khmer New Year. The traditional celebrations last for three days, starting from the 14th until the 16th of April, right at the peak of the hot season, which is to be ended by upcoming rains within one or two weeks. Being deeply religious, the Khmer community’s festival is centered around pagodas and monastic life. Families come to spend entire days in pagodas, listening to Dhamma talks, offering food to the monks, attending various ceremonies and play traditional games on the pagoda’s premises.

Mrs. No Trang is 48 and mother of three children. Early this morning, she has been to the market to buy fresh ingredients to prepare food for the monks. The food is then placed in finely carved containers. Her eldest son takes her and his daughter by motorbike to the pagoda, where they go straight to the dining hall. After being symbolically received by a senior monk, the food is carried to the kitchen to be splited up into small portions. Mrs. No Trang and her grand daughter quickly find a free place on the wooden floor and join other women in their cheerful chat. Her son goes to sit with the men to the left side of the hall, closer to the monk’s elevated platform. At eleven, a long series of drum beating announces meal time. Monks and novices enter the hall in tandem and sit in order of seniority starting from the Buddha altar. Once the offered silent meal is finished, the monks do chanting of blessing for all donors. Mrs. No Trang listens attentively to the chanting, her face filled with gratitude. She is very glad, firmly believing that her departed ones can rejoice in her merit thus made and so have a chance to be reborn in better realms.

In the afternoon, miniature sand hills are made around stupas, or at graveyard nearby the villages. Symbols of the universe according to Hindu cosmology, they carry the Khmer wishes of stability, fortune and prosperity for the year to come. Until the next afternoon, monks are invited over to do chanting at proximity of the sand hills. The chanting is in Pali, an ancient Indian language which is no longer spoken today apart from old Buddhist texts. Although Khmer oral language is categorized as the same linguistic group with the Vietnamese language (Mon-Khmer), its written language has its origin in Pali and Sanskrit. Therefore, the studying of Pali and Khmer are conducted in parallel at pagodas. For Khmer male youngsters, becoming a monk not only helps to gain more merit for their family and them-selves, to learn ethic values and wisdom necessary for life, but also to preserve their cultural heritage, which is otherwise threatened to fade away by modern education and absence of organized preservation plans.

Beside religious activities, Chol Chnam Thmay is a community festival. Families and friends gather for dancing and playing traditional games. Khmer people are born dancers. Their dance is characterized by subtle movements of hips, shoulders and head, combined with graceful gestures of hands and arms. During the three days festival, dancing is carried out anywhere: on pagodas’ ground, on private houses’ front yard or gardens, on the streets… Everywhere, spontaneity and conviviality permeates the atmosphere. Any visitor attending a Khmer dancing party is drawn to join in, although very soon will he realize how ridiculous he has looked, trying to imitate the movements of the hosts, as those turn out not as simple as they seem to be…

Games and competitions add a lot to the fun. Khmer people have a huge range of traditional games and competitions. Each village has their own favorite ones. At Selatro (Diep Thach) pagoda, competition is organized to find out the best sack runner. Each competitor is given an empty sack to put their legs in, and the first to arrive to the goal at 50 meters further away is the winner. Needless to say, it is mostly for the fun rather than for the skills. No one really cares about who is going to be the winner, but all are prepared for the laugh, when competitors either drop their sack down one meter after departure, or jump like kangaroos on dusty ground.

Dong Ky village is located in Tien Son district, Bac Ninh – a village has still preserved several historical and cultural relics. Its annual festival is organized from the 4th to the 6th of the first lunar month in memory of tutelary god’s great merit – who was nominated Thien Cuong De. The tutelary spirit is the person who is of both high position and exploit in teaching the handicraft to the whole area on which basing people’s lives here have been being improved better and better. Thus, he is specially respected one of employments he taught everybody is making crackers. This job itself is the one forming the well known festival – the competition of making and burning crackers.Formerly, during the festival. Dong Ky village’s people used to carry genitals, organized emulations how to raise pigs. chickens well and implemented army parades in order to recall the time when the tutelary god also a general led army forces to fight against enemies. It is believed that, exploding of cracker stands for strength and martial spirit which is possible to exterminate harmful and cruel forces. The more exploded crackers are, the better representing an endless power could bring harmonious weather assisting crops, harvests to be better and people have a prosperous life.

Crackers made from Dong Ky village meet demands of people everywhere on the occasions of Tet – periods, festivals, celebrations… In the competition of crackers, there are huge crackers which are 10 metres long and two metres in diameter with images of dragons, phoenixes, clouds and other traditional designs splendidly embellished.
This kind of cracker is solemnly put inside a sophisticate decorated carriage pulled from hamlets to the ground of the central square by strong boys and beautiful girls in national costumes. After the magic cracker is made sacrifice to the God, an elderly authority wearing a red belt will beat the drum three times announcing that the competition starts. A good cracker must be of loud -prolonged – edged explosion and its body burst into brilliant coloured red petals. The more explosion as thunder or lightning, the more bumper crops next year. People carry the magic cracker before hand and carry the sedan chair of tutalery god followed. The procession of sedan chair always attract the attention of everyone in the festival. The sedan chair is ornamented magnificent with skilful designs carved by entertainers in the village. The god’s statue in the sedan chair is sculptured from red lacquer trimmed with gold timber. It is respectively carried by twelve virginal boys and twelve virginal girls followed by octet playing characteristic tunes. Next are groups of singing and dancing of young people. They sing and dance in sudden inspiration praising the beauty of life. The festival is also made more plentifully by several games such as cock fighting, lion dancing, wrestling, swinging, human chess, boat races… In human chess, pretty girls in speeral costumes play the roles of chessmen. Bordering villages whose literature and art teams are also invited to take part in. They sing together during the festival on green grasses fulling of cracker body or in romantic – flowered boats. Dong Ky village’s festival is held not only for displaying or demonstrating its handicrafts but also for praising spring, friendly relations… so it captivates a lot of participants. People from other places usually come to see this festival and they are greeted and treated to many dishes made by Dong Ky people such as “banh day, banh gio” (rice – pie)…

On the big day, elephants from different villages gather at Don Village. People from near and far in their best and colourful costumes flock to the festival. The racing ground is 500m long and wide enough for ten elephants to stand simultaneously.

After a salvo of tu va (horns made into musical instruments), the elephant handlers called nai take their elephants to the ground, standing in a row at the starting point. The leading elephant stands in front, whirling his trunk and nodding his head in greeting the spectators. Atop each elephant there are two handlers in traditional costumes for generals. The tu va signals the start of the race and the elephants rush forwards amidst the resounding cry of the spectators.

The first handler uses an iron stick called kreo in M’Nong language to speed the elephant. The second handler beats the elephant with a wooden hammer called koc to ensure its speed and to keep it in the right line. Upon seeing the first elephant dashing to the destination the spectators shout boisterously amidst the echoing sound of drums and gongs.

The winning elephant is given a laurel wreath. Like its owner, the elephant expresses its happiness and enjoy the sugar canes and bananas from the festivalgoers. After this race, the elephants participate in the competition of swimming across the Serepok River, of tug-of-wars, or throwing balls and playing football.

Coming to this Elephant Race Festival , tourists have a chance to indulge in the boisterous atmosphere of the festival, of the echo of gongs and the spectacular performances of the elephants from the Central Highlands forest.

When the race comes to an end, the competing elephants bring back the atmosphere of the festival to their villages. Upon returning to their village, they receive warm welcome from the villagers. Very often the elephants from Don Village win the prizes as the village has a tradition of training and tending elephants.

The elephant race constitutes a big festival in the Central Highlands. It reflects the martial spirit of the M’Nong people, an ethnic group famous for their bravery in wild elephant hunting. The magnificent landscape of the Central Highlands further stresses the grandiose characters of this traditional festival.

The Moon-worshipping ceremony takes place on the evening of 14th of tenth lunar month before the moon goes to the top. The ceremony is held in the yards of the pagoda or of residents’ houses. People erect bamboo poles with a crossbar on which they decorate with flowers and leaves. Below is a table of offerings that include green rice flakes, potatoes, bananas, coconuts, grapefruits, oranges and cakes. People sit on the ground with crossed legs, clasping their hands before the altar and look up the Moon. An old master of ceremonies says his prayers, asks the moon deity to receive the offerings and bless people with the best.

After the ceremony, the elders ask the children of the house sit flatly on the ground with crossed legs before the altar. The elders then take a handful of green rice, feed each child and ask them what they wish while clapping their backs. If the children answer the question clearly and politely, all the best will come to them that year. After that, people enjoy the offerings together, and children play games or dance and sing in the moonlight. Anyone who visits the Khmer’s houses on this occasion will be tasted com dep (a kind of young sticky rice). At the pagodas of Khmer people, locals hold paper-lantern releasing into the sky and putting on the rivers. The custom of releasing flying lights and floating lights is believed to sweep away the darkness, impure and sadness from the village. Many traditional activities of the Khmer are organised on the evening of 14th.