Vietnam is a country which has many ethnic groups residing with village community model and mostly each village has its festivals. Annually, especially the years when there are bumper crops, villages operate festivals jubilantly.
Village festivals are often started in spring, when sky and earth harmonises together with the verdant nature and people feel joyful. It can be said that villages' festivals are the place that fully converges merely Vietnamese, solemn protocols kept for many generations such as worship with offerings, folksy games, singing, etc.
Village festivities have been since a long time ago. According to history, many typically famous festivities symbolised for [...] faith that had been maintained since the utmost antiquity. Patterns and marks of village festivals happened even on ancient kettledrums. Some festivals became so popular and illustrious in the areas and even in far away places. Some of them are Hung Kings Temple (in Phú Thọ Province); festivals Co Loa (Cổ Loa), Le Mat (Lệ Mật), Phu Dong (Phù Đổng) (in Hà Nội); Lieu Doi (Liễu Đôi) festival (in Nam Hà), festivities Dong Ky (Đồng Kỵ), Lim, Dau (Dâu) Pagoda, Mrs Chua Kho (Chúa Kho) (in Bắc Ninh); carnivals Yan The (Yên Thế), Xuong Giang ( Xương Giang), Tho Ha (Thổ Hà), Van Van (Vạn Vân) (in Bắc Giang); Kiep Bac (Kiếp Bạc) Temple festival (in Hải Dương); Keo Pagoda festival (in Thái B́nh); junk race carnivals (of Khơme people in the South Vietnam); Sam Mountain festival (in Châu Đốc - An Giang Province); and so on.
Like other traditional festivities, village festivals include two parts: ‘rite' and ‘celebration' (merrymaking). Both of these usually take place in the communal house of the village. However, in village festivals, the ‘celebration' part is frequently dominant. The ‘rite' is used to express adoration and worship to heroes and to honour deities and famous people. They can be saints, Buddha, fairies, supernatural individuals, representatives of religions, or people who has brought well-off, comfortable and happy life for the community. ‘Rite' often has activities like inviting water and sacrificing offers. On the other hand, ‘celebration' is the chance to manifest communally cultural activities from reciprocating-grace singing and dancing, age-old performing on stage to contest carrying sportsmanship (boat contest - Đam (Đăm) village, running with flags - Triều Khúc village, human chess - (Xuân Phương village, etc.) and customary performances (cooking rice competition - Thị Cấm village, catching eels in jars - Hồ village, composing poems, caring ornamental plants, cock-fighting, etc.)
Festivities are said to have profound communal nature as they are climate of the harmony and solidarity that are combined for the prosperity of the villages. Only when you watch village festivals, you can feel entirely the meanings and national pride in their traditions. However, besides positive elements, village festivals still remain a number of backward customs which manifest superstition. Some of them are going into trance, soothsaying, carrying thurible on head, drinking holy water, burning votive paper, offering sacrifices, gambling, betting, smoking opium, etc. These bad habits seem to have a trend of increasing.
A new festivities season is coming everywhere in Vietnam's home villages. We hope that village festivals can still maintain their attraction and reduce the number of unsound traditions and social evils, in order to contribute in building up Vietnam's cultural foundation that is progressive and full of national characters.
