Bustling spring festival
The bustling sound of festival drums, the vibrant colors of flags, traditional Vietnamese dresses and bright smiles are the most easily found things at the early-year festivals.
People flock to communal houses and temples to participate in the festival, praying for a peaceful and happy new year. This is not only an opportunity for entertainment but also a time to connect the community so that people can remember and learn about history, express gratitude to their ancestors, preserve the traditions and culture of the locality and village.
1. After the Lunar New Year, festivals are held throughout the province, such as the Full Moon Festival of the 1st Lunar Month at Co Son Pagoda (Floating Pagoda, Tuyen Binh Commune, Vinh Hung District, Long An Province); the Southern Amateur Music Exchange of Long An Province (Van Phuoc Communal House, My Le Commune, Can Duoc District); the Lam Chay Festival (Tan Xuan Communal House, Tam Vu Town, Chau Thanh District); the Ngu Hanh Long Thuong Lady Festival (Ngu Hanh Long Thuong Lady Temple, Long Thuong Commune, Can Giuoc District); the Peace Praying Festival at Vinh Phong Communal House (Thu Thua Town, Thu Thua District); etc, along with many other worshiping and ceremonies at communal houses and temples throughout the province. Local people are immersed in the bustling and colorful festival atmosphere with a common belief in the good things in life.
Festivals in the province all originate from the activities of praying for peace, favorable weather of the community, villages, commemorating the pioneers, heroes and martyrs, etc. People attending the festival bring with them the consciousness of remembering their ancestors, praying for peace and luck for themselves, their families and their villages.
The bustling atmosphere is an unforgettable part of the festival (Photo: Lam Chay Festival, Tam Vu town, Chau Thanh district) (Photo: Khanh Duy)
Despite her busy business, Ms. Tran Thuy Lieu (Tam Vu town, Chau Thanh district) still takes the time to decorate the altar at Ong Pagoda, one of the locations in the Lam Chay Festival area.
After placing the flower vases she arranged herself on the altar, she carefully checked them again, making sure everything was perfect before doing other things.
People come together to organize the Lam Chay Festival with wishes for a peaceful and prosperous new year
For more than 10 years, every year Ms. Lieu has come to join hands with people to prepare for the festival. Bringing flowers and offerings, she participates in decorating the altars in Ong Pagoda and supports other logistical work with wishes for peace and prosperity for herself and her family in the new year.
Ms. Lieu shared: “For many years, people in my hometown have believed in and is looking forward to the Lam Chay Festival
The Lam Chay Festival (Tam Vu town, Chau Thanh district) attracts a large number of young people to participate (Photo: Khanh Duy)
That belief and faith have been passed down and preserved by the people for generations, gradually becoming a beautiful cultural feature of the nation, showing through the statistics of the number of people participating in the early-year festivals in the province, ranging from tens to hundreds of thousands of people. They go to communal houses and temples to worship and pray for good things; and to live in the festive atmosphere of their homeland, to find their roots and origins.
Head of the Management Board of Vinh Phong communal house (Thu Thua town, Thu Thua district) - Nguyen Van Sang said that the people who come to attend the Peace Praying festival at Vinh Phong communal house every year are not only people living in Thu Thua district but also children far from home and visitors from all over.
"Many people left their hometown to make a living elsewhere a long time ago, their children were also born elsewhere, but when it comes to the festival, they return, sometimes bringing their children and grandchildren. They told me that just visiting their hometown still feels lacking without attending the festival at the communal house." - Mr. Sang shared.
That feeling is hard to describe but it is certainly very strong, making those who are far from home arrange all their busy work to return to live in the warm atmosphere of the festival of their homeland.
2. Festivals in their hometown are all associated with local communal houses and temples, places of community activities, and villages since ancient times. And the atmosphere of the village festival is something that each person carries with them throughout their own journey of adulthood. There, there are the sounds of lion drums, colored lights, performances of traditional opera, ball dance, reformed opera; the brilliant colors of ao dai, turbans, flags and flowers, and a crowd of familiar people in the locality and village. Meeting at the village festival, everyone smiles brightly, sends blessings, making the atmosphere warm and unforgettable.
Through the festival, traditional cultural values are preserved (Photo: The Southern Amateur Music Exchange of Long An province at Van Phuoc communal house (My Le commune, Can Duoc district) (Photo: Huynh Huong)
Not only the elderly are heavy-hearted about the festival, the joyful and bustling atmosphere in the ceremony at the festivals also attracts many young people. There, they find excitement, joy and learn lessons about the traditions and culture of the community where they were born and raised.
Brilliant colors in festivals
Although his daughter is still young and his wife is pregnant with their second child, Mr. Do Tuan Vu (Tan An City) still decided to bring his wife and children back to his hometown to attend the Lam Chay Festival. After lighting incense on the altar of the gods and the altar of heroes and martyrs, Mr. Vu took his family around the festival area to see the lanterns and flower cars.
“My memories of the Lam Chay Festival are the excitement and joy, so I want my family, especially my children, to feel that and love and be proud of their hometown” said Mr. Vu.
The festival is not only an occasion for people to have fun and relax, but also a place for the community to remember history and express gratitude to those who have contributed to opening up and protecting the homeland. Preserving and promoting the traditional cultural values of the festivals contributes to enriching the spiritual life of the community and affirming the cultural identity of the locality./.
By Moc Chau - Translated by Q. Thien
Source: https://baolongan.vn/ron-rang-le-hoi-dau-xuan-a190978.html
