Preserving festivals, opening up tourism opportunities.

- Traditional festivals are one of the typical cultural elements that create diversity and uniqueness for Lang Son's cultural heritage. Therefore, in order for the values ​​of festivals to not only exist in memory but also continue to spread in modern society, in recent years, all levels and sectors in the province have focused on implementing many specific solutions, gradually building festivals into a resource to promote tourism development.

Traditional palanquin procession ritual at the Ky Cung Temple - Ta Phu Temple festival.

Festivals are a convergence of historical, customary, literary, and artistic values; they are living museums of spiritual, democratic, and humanistic values ​​that have been distilled throughout history. Typically, a festival consists of two parts: the ceremonial part and the celebratory part. While the ceremonial part is solemn and associated with traditional religious rituals, the celebratory part opens up a vibrant, joyful, and community-oriented cultural space.

A living museum of culture

In the cultural heritage of Lang Son province, along with other forms of intangible cultural heritage, festivals play an important role in enriching the spiritual life of the people. According to the inventory and review results of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the province currently has nearly 300 festivals, of which more than 90% are traditional festivals, including the Lồng Tồng (going to the fields) festival held in January. These festivals are widely distributed throughout the communes and wards, associated with the history of village formation, relics, scenic spots, and the spiritual life of the ethnic groups in the area.

Each festival has its own unique character, but all reflect the shared aspiration for a prosperous life, abundant harvests, peace for the people, and community unity. Among them, many major festivals such as the Ky Cung Temple - Ta Phu Temple Festival, the Na Nhem Festival, the Bac Nga Pagoda Festival, the Tien Pagoda Festival... have been and continue to be important in building the Lang Son tourism brand in the hearts of tourists from near and far.

According to Mr. Hoang Van Pao, Chairman of the Provincial Cultural Heritage Association: Festivals in Lang Son are mainly rice planting festivals (long tong or long thong), characteristic of the agricultural population that cultivates wet rice. Each festival is a "living picture" that harmoniously combines religious and ritual elements with folk cultural activities, traditional games, folk performances, and distinctive cuisine.

Harvest prayer ritual at the Lồng Tồng Festival in Tân Văn commune.

One of the most representative Lồng Thồng festivals in the province is the Bủng Kham Lồng Thồng Festival in Thất Khê commune, held annually on the 12th day of the first lunar month. This festival commemorates the Gods of Agriculture, the Gods of the Land, and the Fairies (fairies) who protected the daily lives and agricultural production of the people. The festival embodies the people's aspirations and wishes for a prosperous and happy life, and a bountiful harvest. In 2015, the Bủng Kham Lồng Thồng Festival was listed as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Ms. Doan Bich Khe from That Khe commune shared: "I participate in the festival every year. It's very enjoyable to meet relatives and friends from near and far. The festival includes many special activities such as the plowing ceremony; cultural performances, traditional Sli and Then singing, Luon singing, Quan Lang singing, and Co Lau singing; and a competition for the most beautiful food platter. I hope the festival will be maintained forever so that the beautiful traditional customs of our ethnic group will not be lost."

Unlike the Lồng Thồng Bủng Kham festival, the Tam Thanh Pagoda – Tam Giáo festival in Tam Thanh ward, held on the 15th day of the first lunar month, is distinctly a religious festival honoring a historical figure. The festival commemorates the contributions of Governor Ngo Thi Si, a Le Dynasty official sent to Lang Son. In Lang Son, besides safeguarding the border and ensuring the people's well-being, he left behind many literary works praising the beauty of Lang Son, including the discovery and restoration of Nhi Thanh Cave (named after his religious name, Nhi Thanh Cu Si). A unique feature of the Tam Thanh Pagoda – Tam Giáo festival is the procession of the palanquin and ancestral tablet of Governor Ngo Thi Si from Tam Giáo Pagoda (Nhi Thanh Cave) to Tam Thanh Pagoda (Tam Thanh Cave) in the morning and back in the afternoon. The procession passes through several main streets of Tam Thanh ward, such as Nhi Thanh, Tran Dang Ninh, Tam Thanh, To Thi, and Le Hong Phong. This festival has contributed to the richness, diversity, and uniqueness of the cultural heritage of spring festivals in Lang Son province.

Maximizing valuable resources

Culture is the spiritual foundation of society, and it is also a fundamental element in building and developing the nation's "soft power." In the context of increasingly popular experiential and cultural tourism, traditional festivals are considered one of the most attractive "soft products" for tourists. Recognizing this, provincial authorities and departments have gradually incorporated festivals into their tourism development strategies, considering them an important endogenous resource.

Mr. Nguyen Dang An, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lang Son province, said: "The festival is a good opportunity for Lang Son to promote its unique cultural features to tourists, especially the festival held at the beginning of spring. Therefore, we have advised the province to implement many solutions in a coordinated manner, focusing on inventorying, researching, and restoring traditional festivals at risk of disappearing; guiding the organization of festivals to ensure they are authentic, economical, and civilized. We also maintain annual training classes, establish folk song and lion dance troupes, and coordinate and support units in restoring some rituals in traditional festivals; encouraging people to perform traditional cultural heritage at festivals... Through these efforts, traditional festivals are now well maintained and their original traditional features are actively promoted."

Furthermore, to preserve the beauty of traditional culture at festivals, from 2018 to the present, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has advised the Provincial People's Committee to organize cultural and tourism activities during the spring festivals. While previously festivals were mainly organized spontaneously, now they have the involvement of local authorities, resulting in more systematic organization of both the ceremonial and festive aspects of the festivals.

Some festivals also incorporate performances of stories related to historical figures or the festival itself into the opening day or characteristic folk rituals to create a highlight. For example: at the Na Nhem festival in Hung Vu commune, there is a procession of Tang Thinh (symbolizing male genitalia) and Mat Nguyet (symbolizing female genitalia); at the Ky Cung - Ta Phu festival (Ky Lua and Dong Kinh wards), there is a procession of the palanquin of Quan Lon Tuan Tranh from Ky Cung Temple to Ta Phu Temple to thank Ta Do Doc Han Quan Cong Than Cong Tai for clearing his name; at the Chua Tien festival (Luong Van Tri ward), a performance of an excerpt from the legendary story of the Immortal who bestowed precious water upon the villagers of Phja Luong to repay the buffalo-herding children who shared their meager rice with him (in the form of a poor old man)...

The strong appeal of festivals has provided a significant impetus for the development of cultural and spiritual tourism in the province. Preliminary statistics for the 2025 spring festival season alone indicate that the number of tourists visiting Lang Son in the first two months of 2025 will reach nearly 1 million (a 10% increase compared to the same period in 2024), including 31,000 international visitors and over 900,000 domestic visitors.

Ms. Hoang Minh Anh, a tourist from Hanoi, shared: "I have visited Lang Son many times to attend spring festivals. Among them, I was extremely impressed with the Bac Nga Pagoda Festival, held on the 15th day of the first lunar month. At this festival, I was able to admire the famous Bac Nga Pagoda, watch the lion dance, and enjoy Lang Son's famous roasted pork. Especially, the lively and joyful atmosphere of the people at the festival left a lasting impression on me. I will return to Lang Son many times in early spring to experience more festivals."

It can be affirmed that traditional festivals are not only cultural memories of the community but are also gradually becoming an important resource for promoting tourism development. Through festivals, the unique cultural values ​​of Lang Son are "retold" in a vivid and attractive way, touching the emotions of tourists.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/giu-hon-le-hoi-mo-loi-du-lich-5071893.html