The bustling spring festival season

For every Vietnamese person, visiting temples and pagodas at the beginning of the year or immersing themselves in the joyful and vibrant atmosphere of spring festivals is a traditional cultural practice that has been formed and preserved for generations. Quang Ninh has hundreds of unique and diverse historical sites and festivals, mainly taking place in the spring, which have been and continue to attract a large number of locals and tourists who come to celebrate the spring, pray for good fortune and peace in the new year, and reconnect with the roots and beautiful traditions of their homeland...

Cua Ong Temple (Cam Pha City) attracts many locals and tourists who come to worship at the beginning of the year.

The beautiful and favorable weather during the Lunar New Year holiday meant that most religious and spiritual tourism sites in the province, such as Cua Ong Temple (Cam Pha City), Yen Tu historical and scenic site (Uong Bi City), Ngoa Van Pagoda, An Sinh Temple (Dong Trieu City), Cai Bau Pagoda (Van Don District), Xa Tac Temple (Mong Cai City), etc., attracted a large number of locals and tourists to visit, sightsee, and worship.

Joining the crowds of people going to temples and shrines in the cool weather, with streets adorned with colorful flags and flowers, everyone can feel the harmony of nature as spring arrives. The wide-open gates of temples and shrines, the ringing of bells, and the fragrant scent of incense and offerings create a sense of tranquility and peace. Going on spring excursions with joyful hearts, ready to welcome blessings and happiness in the new year, each person is dressed in new, neat clothes, exchanging warm, radiant smiles.

People eagerly pick lucky branches at the Duc Ong Tran Quoc Nghien temple (Ha Long City).

Ms. Hoang Thi Hue, from Hong Ha ward (Ha Long City), happily shared: "Going to the temple has become a traditional activity for my family during the first days of the new year. Returning to the realm of Buddha helps me feel relaxed, peaceful, and dispels all worries, so that I can hope to welcome the new year with good things. In the Year of the Snake, I wish for a warm, healthy, and happy family, and for everyone to be safe and have everything go as planned."

Dressed in elegant traditional ao dai, Ms. Tran Thi Thu Trang from Cam Thanh ward (Cam Pha city) and her family joyfully visited Cua Ong Temple. “Every year, my family comes here to celebrate the spring festival, offering incense to express our reverence to our ancestors and national heroes, and wishing for good things for our family and everyone. This is also how I want to educate and instill in my children an awareness of cherishing and preserving the cultural and historical values ​​that countless generations of our forefathers have cultivated and passed down,” Ms. Trang shared.

People ask for calligraphy blessings at Long Tien Pagoda (Ha Long City) at the beginning of the year.

In the cultural flow of the nation, New Year's festivals, held throughout the country, have become a cultural meeting point during the spring season. They are an opportunity for people to express gratitude to their ancestors and uphold the principle of "drinking water, remembering the source"; to recreate the beauty of daily life and production; and to convey wishes for a peaceful and prosperous life. Quang Ninh currently has nearly 80 festivals, many of which are traditional festivals held in the spring. Today, these traditional festivals not only meet the spiritual and cultural needs of the people but also attract domestic and international tourists to visit and learn about the culture. Therefore, the preparation and organization of these spring festivals are always given attention by the province's localities, ensuring they are organized systematically, thoughtfully, solemnly, safely, civilly, healthily, economically, and deeply rooted in national identity.

One of the spring festivals that kicks off the series of spring festivals in Quang Ninh is the Tien Cong Festival, held annually on the 7th day of the first lunar month in the Ha Nam region (Quang Yen town). According to ancient custom, on this day, elderly people aged 70, 80, and 90 from the Tien Cong clan, who contributed to the reclamation and establishment of the prosperous Ha Nam island region as it is today, are escorted by their descendants to the Tien Cong temple in Cam La commune to offer thanks to their ancestors and the heavens. During these days, descendants from near and far gather to show filial piety to their grandparents and parents, and express gratitude to their ancestors.

Many families choose to wear traditional ao dai (Vietnamese long dress) for their spring outings and temple visits at the beginning of the year.

The Yen Tu Spring Festival (Uong Bi City) is a major festival nationwide and the largest in Quang Ninh province. The main festivities begin on the 10th day of the first lunar month and last throughout the three spring months. Besides spiritual activities, the Yen Tu Spring Festival offers a unique cultural experience with folk games; performances of traditional arts and musical instruments; dragon and lion dances; and opportunities for visitors to experience the cuisine and culture of the Dao Thanh Y ethnic community at the foot of Yen Tu mountain.

Spring festivals in Dong Trieu, such as the Quynh Lam Pagoda Festival, the Ngoa Van Spring Festival, and the Thai Mieu Festival, are all organized on a grand and solemn scale with rituals of worshiping Buddha and the heavens to pray for national peace and prosperity. Meanwhile, at Cua Ong Temple (Cam Pha City), visitors can not only admire the beautiful scenery of the Northeast region and offer incense to commemorate Hung Nhượng Đại Vương Tran Quoc Tang and other national heroes, but also have the opportunity to participate in the temple festival – one of the unique traditional festivals that has been included in the national list of intangible cultural heritage.

As spring arrives, visitors from all over flock to Yen Tu for the spring festival. Photo: Phan Hang

In the eastern localities of the province, where a large number of ethnic minorities live, the traditional festivals here also bear the distinct cultural imprint. These days, people of various ethnic groups throughout the villages of Binh Lieu are eagerly preparing for the Luc Na Temple Festival - one of the biggest festivals in Binh Lieu during the spring season, which will take place on the 16th and 17th of January. The temple is dedicated to the village's tutelary deity, Hoang Can - a hero who helped repel invaders from the North, protecting the village and the country. Mr. Vi Ngoc Nhat, Head of the Culture and Information Department of Binh Lieu district, said: The Luc Na Temple Festival is the first festival in the spring festival season in Binh Lieu. Therefore, along with traditional rituals, the festival is organized in conjunction with spring festivities such as cultural exchanges, folk games, and competitions in ethnic sports. This creates an attraction for tourists and local people to participate, contributing to community cohesion.

The ritual offering to the gods on the opening day of the Luc Na communal temple festival in 2024.

The spring festival in Quang Ninh is a "living museum" that has been created, passed down, and maintained its enduring vitality from generation to generation, becoming a bridge between the past and the present, allowing today's generation to further cultivate patriotism and pride in the fine traditions of their homeland, contributing to the preservation of the nation's age-old cultural identity.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/gin-giu-net-dep-van-hoa-nguon-coi-3341783.html