However, in order for traditional festivals to truly become a “string” that unites the community and has the meaning ofeducating morality and historical traditions; preserving, enriching and promoting cultural identity, it requires a change in the awareness of the government and people in the management and protection of relics; especially, in the organization of festivals.
Festival identification
Traditional festivals are a type of comprehensive, unique and rich folk cultural activity. Festivals can be considered a miniature of folk culture, with literary forms such as: legends, myths, legends, genealogies, funeral orations, steles, etc.; performing arts (performances, folk songs, folk dances, etc.); religions, customs and beliefs (rituals, ceremonies, games, folk performances, customs, worship, etc.)
Festivals are often associated with villages and places, aiming to satisfy spiritual needs and strengthen community awareness. Many cultural and spiritual elements are preserved and passed down from generation to generation in festivals, becoming invaluable cultural heritage of the nation. Festivals are considered a bridge between the past and the present, helping today's generation understand the contributions of their ancestors and be more proud of the traditions of their homeland and country.
Containing and reflecting many aspects of economic , cultural and social life, festivals are a spiritual support for each person to turn to their ancestors, their clan, to the spiritual world and to connect with nature, thereby sublimating in a joyful, solemn atmosphere, both secular and sacred. Obviously, festivals are community activities for each person to prepare offerings and performances together, have fun, communicate, and enjoy tangible and intangible cultural values.
As Mr. Ngo Thanh Tuan, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Ninh Binh province said: It can be seen as a vivid reflection of tradition, community cultural identity as well as a symbol of the spirit of village community solidarity that has been nurtured from generation to generation. Regardless of any festival, whether it is an agricultural festival, a historical festival, honoring gods or national heroes, it always promotes cultural values and the strength of the community on all levels, which is the glue that creates community solidarity.
In terms of educational significance, festivals are the process of dramatizing social life, simulating and vividly recreating historical characters and events that took place in the past in the form of ceremonies, performances, and folk games. The educational value of festivals is expressed in the orientation towards the origin. That reminds everyone in the community of lessons about morality, ancestors' traditions, village history, and national history.
Festivals are spiritual cultural activities that express people's feelings for their ancestors and gods to pray for supernatural forces to protect and bless them. People come to festivals to show their respect to their ancestors and predecessors, reminding everyone to remember their duties and responsibilities to their grandparents, ancestors, and clans and to pray for a peaceful, healthy and successful life. Festivals are also an opportunity to satisfy people's spiritual life, these are sacred moments, full of sympathy and community spirit.
Musician Sy Thang, member of the Ninh Binh Literature and Arts Association, shared: Coming to the festival, it feels like bathing in the cool water of the source of national culture, enjoying sacred moments, it is the time when we can live moments of communion with nature and the universe. When participating in the festival, people are creative, transformed into culture, culture transforms people. This is the process of transmitting culture from one generation to the next.
In traditional festivals, the people are the ones who organize, create, and recreate community cultural activities and enjoy spiritual cultural values. When everyone is immersed in the sacred, exciting atmosphere of the festival, the distance between people seems to disappear, everyone together creates and enjoys culture.
However, through the reality of the big festivals restored in early spring in Ninh Binh in particular, and the whole country in general, it shows that the value of the festival is not only in the cultural aspect but also in the economic value. Because, the festival is also a unique product of tourism, creating an attractive spiritual cultural tourism environment, a factor that creates relaxation and cultural behaviors. The joyful and sacred atmosphere of the festival makes each person get rid of the worries and sorrows of everyday life, promoting the creative labor process, living more compassionately and loving each other.
Festivals are a special product, bringing high economic value, creating favorable conditions for economic development and introducing and disseminating the cultural characteristics of the nation and region to domestic and foreign tourists. Thus, festivals themselves carry special economic value, the economic value of spiritual cultural tourism.
Eliminate negative, commercial elements from traditional festivals
Tam Chuc Pagoda in Tam Chuc ward is where the procession and enshrinement of Buddha's relics and many activities to celebrate the Vesak Festival 2025 will take place. Photo: Minh Thu
The preservation and promotion of traditional values in many major festivals in Ninh Binh in recent years not only shows respect, preservation and promotion of local cultural values, encourages economic and tourism development; commemorates the contributions and sacrifices of our ancestors in the cause of fighting foreign invaders, protecting independence, sovereignty and building the country, but is also an important milestone marking the cultural heritage that will forever exist with history, with the beautiful mountains and rivers of Vietnam, affirming the typical, unique values, and unique features of the cultural treasure created by generations of Ninh Binh people through historical periods.
However, to continue promoting the good cultural values of traditional festivals, we need to correctly identify the nature of festivals and eliminate "worldly" and ostentatious elements from traditional festivals.
According to Mr. Tran Duc Duy, Vice Chairman of the Ninh Binh Province Literature and Arts Association: if the restoration of festivals is widespread, even staged incorrectly, and some predetermined models are mechanically imposed, the festivals will become poor, monotonous, mundane, and heavily formalistic and ostentatious. The restoration of some relics is sketchy and uncontrolled, which will distort the relics and damage the surrounding landscape. In fact, there have been some relics that have not been restored for a long time and have been used for the wrong purposes, leading to serious degradation. The restoration of relics is not properly perceived, which will lead to the destruction of the relic landscape, even deformation of the original relics...
The nature of festivals is diversity, bearing the unique character and nuances of each region and locality. However, currently, some festivals are being unified and monotonized, with festivals in every village and region being similar, losing their diversity, making people and tourists feel bored and no longer interested in going to festivals.
In fact, in some festivals today, there are many commercial activities. In particular, there is a phenomenon of taking advantage of beliefs to trade gods, sell saints, set up ceremonies, pray for hire, tell fortunes, create new monuments to collect money, etc., which spoils the beauty of the festival. Some festivals tend to be "secularized", no longer maintaining the sacredness, sublimation and symbolic language. Offering incense and burning a lot of votive paper, causing waste and polluting the environment, are also common phenomena in festivals.
Therefore, to eliminate negative elements from historical, cultural, spiritual sites and traditional festivals, according to Mr. Ngo Thanh Tuan, Deputy Director of the Provincial Department of Culture and Sports, it is necessary to first focus on propaganda and education to raise people's awareness of the cultural and historical values of festivals, to respect, preserve and proactively promote those values in community life.
In addition, it is necessary to have specific measures against superstitious activities and social evils that are parasitic in festivals; promote the role of organizations and unions (elderly people, youth, women, veterans, etc.) in organizing festivals; set good examples of good people and good deeds in participating in organizing and managing festivals, contributing to making people aware of their rights and obligations to preserve festivals. There needs to be a clear division of responsibilities at all levels in managing and preserving festivals and relics. Encourage artisans and the elderly to understand the rituals and folk games passed down to future generations; urgently plan and carry out the preservation of festivals and traditional customs that are at risk of being lost...
Financial investment in festivals should be considered urgent in the current period, in order to honor the values of heritage, national traditions and historical heroes. However, in addition to exploitation, it is necessary to promote the voluntary spirit of the community in the work of maintaining and preserving traditional festivals. Attention to financial support from the state budget at all levels is considered an important "push" for festivals to create many unique cultural values, capable of attracting tourists, bringing economic benefits to the locality.
Source: https://baoninhbinh.org.vn/de-le-hoi-truyen-thong-tro-ve-dung-gia-tri-thuc-399969.htm
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