5 traditional folk festival in Northern Vietnam

One of the best ways to make sure that your trip to northern Vietnam is an unforgettable one is to plan it around the time of the festivals celebrated in the country. Inspired by the Chinese Lunar calendar, most of the cultural events and festivals in northern Vietnam are celebrated during specific times of the year.

These festivals will not only let you witness and absorb the culture of the country but also give you a soul-touching experience.

Yen Tu Festival

Every year Yen Tu Festival happens from the tenth day to the end of March on the lunar calendar in Yen Tu Mountain area of Thuong Yen Cong Commune, Uong Bi City, Bac Ninh Province, Vietnam. Yen Tu was The Buddhism’s center of Dai Viet before. It was also placed founding the Zen sect of Truc Lam. Pilgrims and tourists join Yen Tu Festival to separate themselves from the carnal world, come to Buddhist world.

Lim Festival

Lim Festival in Bac Ninh happens annually on January around 12th-13th on the lunar calendar. The festival occurs in Lim Town, Tien Du District, Bac Ninh Province, Vietnam. It is the festival of Quan Ho Singing, which has been one of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2009.
The festival in Bac Ninh aims to express gratitude and respect of the locals to God Nguyen Dinh Dien who had the merit of restoring many temples, pagodas, and festivals including to Lim festival. The festival is also an occasion to remember the origin of Lim Festival as well.

Perfume Pagoda Festival

Perfume Pagoda Festival draws throngs of local pilgrims from all over Vietnam to Ha Noi’s iconic Perfume Pagoda, where they to pray for a prosperous year and pay their respects to Buddha. The pilgrimage starts with a dragon dance at Den Trinh Pagoda on the 15th day of the 1st Lunar, where pilgrims and even travelers travel by boat along the Yen River to the base of Huong Mountain, passing by limestone caves and rice fields. The journey continues on foot by climbing hundreds of stone steps towards Huong Tich Cave, offering a colourful display of food offerings, statues of deities, lit incenses, and praying locals.

Dong Da Hillock Festival

Dong Da Hillock Festival takes places annually on the 5th day of the Lunar New Year at Dong Da Hillock, Quang Trung Ward, Dong Da District, Ha Noi Capital. The festival aims to respect the great merit of King Quang Trung, the hero in the history opposing aggression of the Vietnamese nation and to memorize the famous battle of Ngoc Hoi, Dong Da.

Giong Temple Festival

This large festival is held on the 9th day of the 4th month of the lunar calendar. The date commemorates Saint Giong who defeated the An invaders. In order to show their gratitude to the hero of Giong Village who sacrificed his life to fight invaders, the people proclaimed him Saint Giong.

Preparation for the festival occurs from the 1st day of the 3rd lunar month to the 5th day of the 4th lunar month. The procession starts from the Mother Temple to Thuong Temple with the performance of a religious service. After reaching the temple, a feast for the troops occurs. When night falls, a Cheo play is performed (a classical Vietnamese opera). This festival blends together the traditions of love for the motherland and the preservation of the cultural heritage.

Xoan Festival

Xoan Festival is organized in Huong Nha village, Tam Thanh District, Phu Tho province from the 7th to the 10th of the first lunar month. The festival aims to celebrate Xuan Nuong, a talented woman general of Hai Ba Trung and praise the work of Hung Kings.

During the festival days, many performances will be held to serve travelers. The festival also holds the Xoan singing contest, a cultural and artistic character of the land group.

Read more: What do you know about Hoi An Lantern Festival?

Source Internet

Experience the spring festivals in South Korea

Spring in Korea is the time of flower festivals, lantern festivals and more to brighten up the peninsula along with the bright sunshine and warmer breezes welcoming the warmer months to come. Here are the festivals you should seek out to get in the renewal and rebirth spirit that spring is known for.

Cherry Blossom Festival

Spring in Korea is almost defined by the cherry blossom, and this festival is undoubtedly one of Korea’s most popular festivals. People will travel the length of the country, and even from abroad, to take pictures in front of the most photogenic trees during the cherry blossom. The beautiful blooms on Cherry Blossom trees make Korea famous all over the world, so it is no wonder that this festival is one of the most popular springtime festivals in the country.

Although the cherry blossom only lasts in each location for a very short period of time, its spread from south to north takes around a month or more.

Time: April 1- April 10, 2019

Nonsan Strawberry Festival

Strawberries are the spring fruit in Korea. This festival has everything from strawberry jam, chocolate covered strawberries and more strawberry treats to fields of strawberries to pick and eat until your bellies are full. Shuttle buses take festival-goers to nearby strawberry fields to pick up and fill up on as many red fruity pieces of goodness as they can.

Time: March

Jindo Miracle Sea Road Festival

According to many religions, when Moses parted the sea it was a true miracle. A similar phenomenon occurs naturally on the island of Jindo in the south-west of Korea. Once a year, the strong neap tide pulls the sea away revealing a path, almost three kilometers long, from Jindo to the nearby Modo Island. The resulting phenomena is extremely unusual, so people gather from all over the country to marvel at the parting of the sea.

Jindo is a long way from most major cities, so while you visit the festival, make sure that you take the chance to explore the rest of the island. Jindo is famous for the extremely loyal Jindo breed of dogs. It is famous also for the battle of Myeongnyang among lovers of Korean history, where Admiral Yi Sun-Shin defeated the Japanese navy against the odds.

Time: May 16-May 19, 2019

Yeon Deung Hoe (Lotus Lantern Festival)

The Lotus Lantern Festival celebrates the birth of Buddha and in Seoul the celebration is just spectacular. The highlight of the celebrations is a massive parade through the streets of downtown Seoul with thousands of lanterns in the shapes of lotus flowers, elephants, dragons and more Buddhist visuals. Women in Hanboks walk alongside Buddhist monks in robes and it is not just Korean Buddhists that attend. Buddhists from around the world come to stand alongside people of all faiths and walks of life to celebrate life and light. After the parade, the crowds gather with the parade walkers to dance in the streets.

Time: May 11-May 13, 2019

Read more: Best places to travel in Asia in January

Yeongdeok Snow Crab Festival

Yeongdeok is known for its snow crabs, so it is no surprise that this festival occurs every year in the Yeongeok area. If you are a lover of snow crab, this is certainly the festival for you, whether you would like to take a stroll through the public snow crab auction, get on a snow crab fishing boat, or participate in a lively snow crab cooking competition, there is truly something for every snow crab lover at this festival.

Snow crab used to be a delicacy served to Korean kings, and it is still a much-loved seafood featured in many Korean dishes today, check out this festival and celebrate the delicious origins of snow crab in Korea.

Time: March 22 - March 25, 2019

Source Internet

What to know about Tet, Vietnamese New Year

Tet is by far the biggest celebration in Vietnam. Every year, millions of people fly, drive and float their way back to their hometowns to spend quality time with their friends and families. The meals are big, the songs are loud, and everyone is in a good mood. Vietnamese people wait all year for this, but what is Tet?

Technically, "Tet" is a shortened form of Tết Nguyên Đán, a way to say "Lunar New Year" in Vietnamese.

Tet is seen as a chance for a fresh start. Debts are settled, old grievances are forgiven, and houses are cleaned of clutter, all to set the stage for attracting as much luck and good fortune as possible in the upcoming year.

The basics

The Tet holiday coincides with the Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls sometime around the end of January, or the beginning of February. Generally speaking, Tet is a time to dish out the spoils from a prosperous year, to bring good fortune through generosity. In the months leading up to the holiday, people work long hours to pay for lavish gifts and celebrations. But it is time spent with family and friends that makes Tet so special.

Traditions

The first day of Tet is meant to be for immediate family. Parents and grandparents hand out lucky money to their children and grandchildren, usually cash gifts in red envelopes, which is the color of luck. For kids, this means it is time to load up on new toys and snacks. After the immediate family, it is time to celebrate with friends and neighbors.

Fruits of Tet: "Mam Ngu Qua"

The "five-fruit tray" on the ancestral altar during the Tet Holidays symbolizes the admiration and gratitude of the Vietnamese to Heaven and Earth and their ancestors and demonstrates their aspiration for a life of plenty. The five fruits represent the quintessence hope that Heaven and Earth bless humans. It demonstrates a Vietnamese percept of life, "When taking fruit, you should think of the grower".

Flowers of Tet

Coming to Vietnam during the season of the Tet festival, the visitor is engulfed in an ocean of colorful flowers. Visiting flower shows, contemplating the buds and blooms, and purchasing blossoms represents one of the distinct Vietnamese cultural characteristics. The peach (in the North) and the apricot blossoms (in the South) are symbols of the Vietnamese Tet. The warm pink of the peach could very well match the dry cold of the North, but the hot South seems to be flourishing in the riot of the yellow of the apricot. The mandarin is symbolic of good fortune. Therefore, people tend to choose the little plants with verdant leaves which are laden with large, orange fruit for a longer display.

Food

The most famous snack associated with Tet is Banh tet or Tet cake which is sticky rice, mung bean and pork, boiled inside a leaf. Roadside carts selling these cylindrical green bundles pop up everywhere as the holiday approaches. Just the sight of a bicycle loaded with Tet cakes gets people excited, because it means their favorite holiday is almost here.

Read more: Vietnam's traditional foods during Tet

Families also have large fruit trays in their homes, featuring plums, bananas, pomelos and tangerines. The more fruit, the better. They are symbolic of fertility in the upcoming year. No fruit means no babies. Dried fruit is also a popular snack to give to children during the holiday, along with peanut brittle and coconut candies.

The most joyous part of Tet, though, is the meals. They are huge, delicious, and the room is typically full of laughter. People who have not seen each other in months catch up and share stories, drinking a lot of beer and liquor in the process. Do not be surprised if you hear families still going strong in the very early hours of the morning.

Learn these words, because you will be hearing and saying them a lot should you find yourself in Vietnam during Tet.
Chúc Mừng Năm Mới! (Happy New Year!)
Pronounced: Chook Mung Nam Moi!

Source Internet

The greatest festivals you should join in Da Lat

Da Lat located in Vietnam's highland with many ethnic minorities. So, Da Lat has many festivals. If you are spending time on your research, you will easily realize that Da Lat is absolutely well worth a visit, and especially it is better to come here on season of festivals. Let’s see how wonderful those festivals are.

Da Lat Flower Festival

It is probable to say that the festival has gradually become a glittering characteristic in the culture of Da Lat as the thought that the event is associated with the romantic highland city is leaking into the Vietnamese’s mind. As for the aim of Da Lat flower festival, to encourage the economic growth of Da Lat and popularize the city’s tourism as well as its beautiful image, the event is where vegetables, flowers, and ornamental plants from the locals are displayed and introduced to visitors. The exhibition is also considered to be the best approach to the potential investment in Da Lat flower industry from other places whereby the culture and people of Da Lat will be more well-known.

Da Lat flower festival has been organized every two years since 2005. Regularly at the end of the year. It is also an exclusive tourist product which attracts lots of domestic and foreign tourists. The main stage of this festival is put on the water surface of Xuan Huong lake and Lam Vien square.

Gong Cultural Festival

Be curious about Gong Festival? At first, let yourself grab a little understanding of what Gong is? In fact, Vietnam people don’t simply mention Gong in their culture, instead, they will talk about the space of Gong culture in Vietnam Highlands. The gong culture was designated as the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO on November 15th, 2005.

The space of Gong culture in Vietnam Highlands stretches in highland provinces, such as Daknong, Gialai, Kontum, Lamdong, and Daklak. Artists performing that culture are ethnic minorities, including Ma, Ede, Bana, Lach, etc. What makes up the gong culture’s performance consist of Gong music melody, Chime, artists, long-houses, fields, graveyard, forests next to villages, etc. As for Gong Cultural Festival, it will take place in the above highland provinces in turn. Tourists coming to Da Lat, Lam Dong in the occasion when the city plays a role as the host can learn more about unique and quintessential features in the gong culture. It is really fantastic.

Tea Cultural Festival

Previously, Tea Cultural Festival – one of the festivals in Da Lat city used to be a periodic event held once each two years with the purpose of honoring the tea industry; the first flower festival took place in December, 2006. It is supposed that the festival is not merely a cultural event, but it is also a lever to push up the economic and tourism development of Da Lat. Specifically, it is where Vietnamese tea enterprises grab chances to popularize their brands. Besides, visitors experiencing the festival in Da Lat city can know more about the art of making tea and sample amazingly fragrant kinds of tea.

Nonetheless, because of some reasons making the tea producing industry go down, in the next time, Tea Cultural Festival will be organized as a part of Da Lat Flower Festival instead of taking place separately as usual. Therefore, it will be great to join Tea Cultural Festival when you are also enjoying Da Lat flower festival.

Buffalo Stabbing Festival

Every year, at the end of the crop (year-end), ethic minorities organize the greatest festival of the year to offer sacrifice Ndu God and other gods and genies to express their gratitude to the gods who have provided the villagers and tribes with a prosperous year with many lucks and a good crop. This festival is name Sarơpu (buffalo eating Festival) and commonly called Buffalo Stabbing Festival.
The first thing to do is putting a tree called ‘Neu’ which indicates their desires for wellness and happiness indispensable in this festival.

Read more: Chill out in the newest spots in Dalat

Source tnktravel

Traditional custom of Vietnamese ethnics on Lunar New Year

Each ethnic minority group has its own festivals, customs, beliefs and farming practice. Tet festival lasts about half a month, during which time many exciting cultural and community activities take place. Following are traditional Tet festival customs of some ethnic minority groups in Vietnam.

Dao ethnic minority

Tet festival of the Dao ethnic minority usually takes place in the first month of the lunar calendar, beginning a new year with good weather and a lush green harvest. This is a nice traditional culture of Dao people.

Before the festival, Dao people usually prepare an altar. The altar is made of four timbers, surrounded with bamboo. Inside the altar are three big round tubes, used as thuribles symbolizing sky, land and people. There is votive paper money in the censers. Space under of the alter is a bundle of sugar-cane to wish for good things.

Cham people

Like other ethnic groups, the Cham ethnic people also celebrate their Tet sumptuously. They kill pigs, poultry and enjoy a variety of fruits and cakes. During the Lunar New Year Festival, the Cham ethnic group has no taboo so their friends and neighbours can share happiness with them easily. During the Tet festival, the Cham ethnic people also organize games such as fan-dancing, gong-beating, singing, drinking and archery.

Tay ethnic minority

The Tet festival of Tay ethnic people starts on the 30th of the last lunar month to the morning of the third day of the New Year. On the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, they go to work in field, but only as a formality. On the 15th day of the first lunar month, they celebrate Tet festival again.

Different from Thai ethnic people, Tay ethnic minority’s taboo is that a person who is not invited to come their home on the first day of the Lunar New Year. The first caller on New Year’s Day chosen is a virtuous person or a person well respected in the hamlet, and they especially refrain anyone in mourning. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Tay ethnic men usually go to their parents-in-law to wish a Happy New Year and the third day of the New Year to wish magician.

Co Tu ethnic people

On the Lunar New Year festival of the Co Tu people, the crossbows, spears, broadsword, cymbal, drums and gongs are carefully cleaned. Many cultural activities take place in Guol house (communal house) such as telling stories, dancing, singing folk songs. Co Tu girls have chance to exchange feelings and invite others to go out for a month-long.

H're ethnic minority

The Tet festival of the Hre ethnic group, who live in Quang Ngai province, lasts for several months. Each family must make large quantities of Tet (cylindrical glutinous rice) cake, can wine and slaughter a buffalo to make a feast for guests, relatives and neighbours.

To celebrate Tet, all the villagers gather at the house of the village chief to enjoy the banquet and offer him their best wishes. Afterwards, they visit each other’s houses in the hamlet. During Tet, the locals enjoy good foods and drinks while dancing and singing. The Hre have their own unique way of counting their age. Each year, when local people make Tet cake or serve guests during Tet, they wrap a plain cake without stuffing and have it as their individual portion.

San Chi (Cao Lan) ethnic minority 

When spring comes, the ethnic San Chi people start preparing for Tet. They make traditional food to offer to their ancestors during the holiday. Like other ethnic groups, San Chi people also erect Neu poles from Vau trees, symbols of spring,to pray for peace and prosperity. High Neu poles, they believe, will bring good business. Any house without a pole is not considered to be really celebrating Tet.

Before lowering the Neu poles, the San Chi ethnic group select an auspicious direction to pray for support from the spirits. 

Read more: 5 traditional activities during Tet holiday for families

Source Vietnam CultureInformation