The Chinese have been celebrating fruitful harvest during autumn since the Shang Dynasty or 1600-1046 BCE; the moon symbolized rejuvenation and was an object of worship in ancient history. In the modern days, the Mid-Autumn Festival offers a warm occasion for family members to reunite, enjoy the beautiful full moon together and eat Mooncakes as a festival tradition.

Many people across Asia grew up celebrating the Moon Festival; it has become a part of their childhoods and memories due to the fun activities that took place as part of the celebration. Besides from having traditional moon cakes, children and adults often played fun festival themed games to celebrate. These are the most common and most exciting games you need to try this year for the most memorable Moon Festival with your loved ones.

PUA TIONG CHIU (DICE GAME)

Pua Tiong Chiu, or Bo Bing, is a traditional Chinese dice game that is often played as part of the celebration of the Mid-autumn Festival. The name has a literal meaning of ‘gambling the mid-autumn’ and is relatively simple to set up and fun at the same time. You will only need six similar dice, a medium-sized porcelain bowl, and a range of prizes for the winners. This game very ideal, as there is an unlimited number of players and anyone can join in the fun. Traditionally, 63 mooncakes with variations in size are prepared as prizes for winning players, however, in the modern-day, the prizes can be anything, from daily necessities to simply cash.

In a group of players, each person has one chance every round to throw the six dice into the bowl, and prizes are determined depending on the dice combination they have got. After the first player has rolled, the dice are passed onto the second player and the process is repeated until there are no prizes remaining. If one or more die, unfortunately, lands outside of the bowl, the player’s results will not be counted. Traditionally, for good luck, a player can throw the dice with one or two hands and shout “Chiong Wan!”.

There is a hierarchy of prizes in the game, starting with the minimum combination which is a six diced combination with only one four facing up. The next highest result is two 4-faces 4. On the next level is a combination of three 4-faced dice. To gain a third place, you need to throw a combination of four of the same number except 4, and for second place a combination of all numbers (from 1 to 6) or three of a number and three of another number.

The 1st place is called ‘Zhuang Yuan’ and can be achieved by a combination of four 4-face or five of any other number. The ultimate throw can beat this and can be achieved from a combination of six 1-face or six 4-face. When a player manages an ultimate throw, he or she will get a special prize which could be better than all of the other prices from 6th to 1st place.  

LANTERN PARADES

Lanterns would be the first thing that comes up to mind when one is speaking of the Mid-autumn Festival; they are a crucial part of the celebration and have grown symbolic of the festival itself over time. In Vietnam, lanterns are very important to the festival- many children would carry brightly lit lanterns and parade under the full moon at night. The lanterns come in all forms; there are lion lanterns, star lanterns, cat lanterns, etc.

Making your own moon festival lanterns is a must, they can come in any shape, colour and form and lantern making is a fun bonding activity with your family and friends. More traditional lanterns are hand-made from the images of important historical figures in Vietnamese history or natural landscapes, while modern lanterns could be crafted into any character desired. Famous examples that are seen every year are Disney characters, Pokémon and Hello Kitty.

Lanterns are symbolic of the wish for sunlight to return after the cold winter and could be made from the simplest of materials such as paper to colourful fabrics. They are traditionally lit with warm candlelight; however, you can find or create modern versions from a small battery powered light bulb. The lantern’s frame and inner candle holder can be made with some glued together wooden sticks; fabric or colourful paper is then secured over the frame while an additional stick is used to hold the lantern.  In Vietnam, you can carry your hand-crafted lanterns and parade the streets at night with friends and family while singing traditional songs and chants in order to celebrate the traditional Vietnamese folk dragon that brings rain to the region for successful rice reaping. It is truly an exciting show.

SHANG T’IEN-T’ANG (ASCENT INTO HEAVEN)

This game is traditionally played among women during twilight. It generally requires a group of girls or women lined up in a full circle. The game has a more mythical and imaginative vibe rather than being practical and active, as the traditional Moon Festival was full of magical meanings in many Chinese districts. As the game starts, a young lady will be selected from the circle to ‘ascend’ into heaven or a celestial realm.

The game starts with the chosen woman covering up her eyes with her hands, while a stick of incense is placed between her fingers. The remaining group of women, also called ‘the chorus’, will each hold a stick of incense and walk around her while chanting a melody until the main player ‘falls asleep’. Traditionally, it is said that this ritual will help the player’s soul ascend into the celestial realms of heaven, and the woman will start describing what she can see in the alternate realm. Despite its mythical motif, this game can be fun for children as the game can be turned into a short play or performance; it can be used to tell traditional stories about the festival or simply to explore children’s rich imagination.

LANTERN RIDDLES

In China, red paper lanterns are hung all over the streets and houses during the Mid-autumn Festival and they often have traditional riddles attached to them or written directly on top. The lantern riddles are also called ‘lantern tigers’, following the Chinese saying that solving a riddle is like fighting a tiger as they were difficult to figure out. They usually contain messages of wisdom and provide children with a great opportunity to practice problem-solving and language skills.

This game is quite simple; all you need is your hand-crafted or store-bought lanterns. You can write the riddles on a thin piece of paper and attach them by a string to the lanterns then each family member can take turns to work out the correct answers or ‘fight the tiger’. Here are some examples of common riddles you could use:

• What’s full of holes but still holds water?
• What do you call a rich fish?
• What building has the most stories?
• Which is faster, hot or cold?
• It’s been around for millions of years, but it’s no more than a month old. What is it?
• They look like twin brothers, both sturdy and tall. They work together and go everywhere together. But they only go near solid food and do not care for soup. Who are they?
• He devotes his life to looking after the house. His mate always follows when the master goes out. A gentleman sees him and goes away. A villain sees him and it spells bad luck. Who is he?
• Use the 10 letters acdehijlnp to spell out the names of four countries. Each name must be five letters long, and the four countries must be neighbors.

MAKING ‘TÒ HE’ (TOY FIGURINES)

This Vietnamese traditional children’s toy is made from glutinous rice powder which is dyed in different colors with food coloring. They are often sold on the streets by craftsmen and have become an important part of the Moon Festival celebration as characters from the Festival’s folktales are often made into figurines and commonly sold to children. Making ‘tò he’ is not only very simple but also an enjoyable activity to do with your family and friends to celebrate the Moon Festival. The glutinous rice powder is mixed with some water to create clay or dough-like consistency. It is a great alternative to clay or Play-Doh as the rice powder dough is completely edible, making the products safe for use. The plain dough can be separated into smaller parts; each of the smaller dough then can be dyed in any colour desired and can be used to create a variety of different shapes.

Traditionally, seven basic colours are used: green, blue, red, purple, white, yellow, and black. Another key material you will need is a bamboo stick or bamboo skewer which will be used to secure the dough on top during the figurine creation process. Let your creativity flow and make unique creations that are your own. The forms of ‘tò he’ can be flowers, animals, cartoon characters, or characters from folk stories such as the infamous ‘Tôn Ngộ Không’, the Monkey King in Journey to the West.

The post Mid-Autumn Festival Games to play with the Family appeared first on Maze Vietnam.

The scale of the Hue Festival also suggested to me that its people were capable of organising world class events. And, of course, the food was delicious. Because I was busy making photographs, I only managed to eat at roadside stalls, and yet, the food often tasted like fine dining. Though I thoroughly loved the festival, I’d like a chance to encounter the cultural events close-up, i.e. instead of just having big shows, I’d like to experience more intimate performances and workshops on the various art forms.

Learn about Vietnam’s Hue Festival here:

Festival Hue 2018 | Public Cultural Event

Here are some photos I captured during Hue Festival. Hope Maze Vietnam readers enjoy!

But the beauty of Hue and the friendliness of its people showed me a very different side of Vietnam.

 

Photos and words by Photographer Lee Yew Moon of Kalyedoscope

More about the photographer:

The post Festival Hue Through The Lens of a Singaporean Photographer appeared first on Maze Vietnam.

We may take a deeper look into its given name. As being said, Tết Đoan Ngọ is how it is called, with Đoan: “start” or “beginning”, and “Ngọ”: “noon” that lasts around 11:00 AM till 1:00 PM. Hence, the festival is usually celebrated with the purpose of warding away illness as well as evil spirits.

Unlike China where Duanwu – Mid Year Festival named by Chinese – is known as a festival to commemorate Qu Yuan (340-278 BC), an ancient Chinese patriotic poet, Vietnamese Tết Đoan Ngọ turns up in its own way. Once upon a time, peasants were eager to their prosperous harvest, then came a dense swarm of insects that severely laid siege to all of their yields. On spur of moment, a mysterious old man showed up, guided the villagers to offer bánh tro (made of glutinous rice flour dipped in lye), and fruits in front of their houses, then went for a warm up. As a surprise, the insects died with all of the sudden. This story has been told every single year through generations. Then 5^th of May in lunar calendar was chosen to be a big sort of commemoration and celebration, which got its name as “Tết Giết Sâu Bọ” – “The festival of killing insects” accordingly.

Vietnamese people hold the event not only just for the story of “killing insects” mentioned above but also for remaining their good health. This time of the year is a shift between two seasons (from Spring to Summer) that is believed to lead to the outcome of some epidemic diseases and illnesses. Then people tend to have foods and drinks like sticky rice wine – com ruou (fermented rice bathed in wine), bánh tro (made of glutinous rice flour dipped in lye) and fruits of sour taste to purge all diseases from their bodies. Above all, to most of our families, the festival is such a good opportunity for a big reunion.

The post The Festival of Killing Inner Insects in Vietnam | Travel Fest appeared first on Maze Vietnam.

Peach Blossom (Hoa Đào)

if you ever pay a visit to Hanoi during Lunar New Year, you will definitely agree that all over the place is covered with a cheerful color coming from these pink petals of peach blossoms. This kind of plant is known as an iconic flower for Northern Vietnamese when it comes to spring. It is believed that not only peach blossoms can chase away evil spirit, but they also bring in a fresh vitality to your home, which helps you stay healthy and peaceful. Not just that, if you are a businessman, then peach blossom cannot be forgotten due to its symbol as fertility and hope.

The best place to see the flowers is Nhat Tan (Nhật Tân) peach blossom garden located in Au Co Street, Hanoi.

Apricot Blossom (Hoa Mai)

Whilst peach blossom is the most popular Tet holiday’s auspicious flower in Northern Vietnam, apricot blossom can be seen as the spirit of Tết for Southern Vietnamese. Contrary to the pink that gets a great harmony with the freeze and coldness in the North, yellow petals from apricot blossoms represent for the torrid heat and humidity Southern Vietnamese have been enduring all year round. An image of five-petal apricot blossom symbolizes for “Five Blessings” in Oriental belief: longevity, wealth, peace, health and love of virtue, which mark the dearest hope of every Vietnamese in particular and Asian in general. Coincidentally, the word “Yellow” (vàng) in Vietnamese sounds identical to the word “Gold” or “Golden” (vàng). Consequently, apricot blossoms are decorated in most of the houses with a hope of good luck, happiness and, prosperity.

White daffodil (Hoa Thủy Tiên Trắng)

Apart from peach blossoms, white daffodils find favor with lots of Hanoi citizens in terms of their multi-function and symbolic meaning. Unlike any other holiday ornamental plants, every single part of a daffodil can be exerted: flowers, fragrance, leaves and tuberous roots. Water must be replaced in every morning in order that roots can be kept clean and not turn smeared. According to Oriental or Asian outlook, this plant bears a good meaning. Word-of-mouth has it that, if  white daffodils bloom right in the moment of  New Year’s Eve in one’s house, the whole family will end up with happiness, good luck, and prosperity. Bưởi market, a local village fair in Hà Nội, is where people always come to find white daffodils by the time of Tết. Besides using them as ornamental plants, trimming and arranging the daffodil flowers can be an absolutely great art.

Kumquat tree (Cây Quất)

Vietnamese believe that owning a luxuriant kumquat tree in the middle of their home brings good health and good luck to their business.  It is a symbol for a greatly prosperous year ahead. Hence, there is no doubt to see kumquat trees displayed for sale at every single corner of the street in many flower markets all over Vietnam. Located next to China, Vietnam has adopted a lot of Chinese cultures, customs, and beliefs. Feng Shui is not an exception. As a result, planting and trimming a kumquat tree must be conformed to some decorating rules, in order to turn it into a perfect shape. An ideal sample of kumquat tree will have big shiny dark green leaves, and all the fruits must bear a similarity in size and give a juicy look. When people are running a business, they should place a kumquat tree at the front door of their offices or stores so that it can bring wealth and clear sight. That is the reason why man must serve good experience in life as well as Feng Shui application once it comes to purchase and display kumquat trees.

Fig (Sung)

Rather than being seen as a usual tree in a back garden of someone’s house during Lunar New Year, figs are usually displayed as one of the main fruits on a five-fruit tray, especially in Southern Vietnam. A typical five –fruit tray will include custard-apples, coconuts, papayas, mangoes, and figs, which can be literally translated as “wishing for a well-off life” in Vietnamese when combined in sound. By itself, “fig” in Vietnamese sounds identical to “comfortable”, “well-off” or “prosperous”. Apparently, we can totally understand why figs are favored by Vietnamese during Lunar New Year.

Daisy (Hoa Cúc)

Regardless of where they come from, both Northern and Southern
people all enjoy having lots of daisy pots placed around their gardens or along the porches. If these flowers are in yellow and red, they will be more preferred. Daisy is a symbol for life, even if a single sprig of daisy put inside a small bottle can help balance the vital force in your house. However, laying your daisy pots where they can take the most illumination in order to get the best of luck must be kept in mind.

In conclusion, reading through the article, we all can infer that Vietnamese lead a very rich mental life, affected by a long-standing rice civilization. The aspiration for a prosperous and happy life is inarguable, especially on this big occasion of Tết, or Lunar New Year. It can be reflected through the meaning of some typical ornamental plants in every region of our country. It is an absolute honor for all of us, as local Vietnamese, to show you a part of our culture. And moreover, you can put it into the comparison with other Asian countries to figure out the specialty in our belief.  

The post Top Lucky Plants and Flowers for Tet Holiday appeared first on Maze Vietnam.

The first day of Lunar 2018 – the first day of Tet is on 16th of February 2018

Clothing Shopping

Just like Christmas or the New Year’s Eve in European countries, Tet to all Vietnamese is the time for family’s gathering and crazy shopping! However, do not worry too much about your budget because everything at Tet is fully sale off! If you go to the stores, especially clothing stores, you will find that most of them offer sale off up to 50%. For other things, the price is also comparatively and competitively low so you can be sure that there will be a wide range of choices for you.

If you are interested in clothing stores in Hanoi, glance through this list of locations:

Germe Shop

Germe is now offering from 10% – 30% sale off for all clothes in store from 2nd – 5th February 2018. Especially, if you are interested in Áo Dài, this will be a terrific opportunity to drop by Germe. Germe is now having 11 stores in Hanoi so you can check out its website or facebook page to know more information.

Website: www.germe.vn/
Facebook: Germe Shop
Address 1: #258 Bà Triệu Street, Hai Bà Trưng District, Hanoi
Address 2: #64 Hàng Nón Street, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hanoi
Address 3: #273 Xã Đàn Street, Hai Bà Trưng District, Hanoi

Magenta Vintage

Magenta will be a perfect place if you love a little bit of vintage style. Magenta offers both new and used clothes with vintage design and style. You can also buy other accessories from scarfs, hats and shoes here. The price is considerably high compared to other stores but you know what they say: “You get what you pay for”.

Facebook page: Magenta Vintage
Address: 2nd Flr, 6 Hàng Đậu Street, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hanoi
Price: From 300.000vnd

Boo

Boo is a well-known clothing store in the country. It offers a variety of clothes with all styles but mostly sporty, street and casual for target customers from 15 – 25 years old. There are many BOO stores in the city so below are a few locations suggested.

Website: www.bosua.vn/
Facebook page: Bo sua by BOO
Address 1: #308 Bà Triệu Street, Hai Bà Trưng District, Hanoi
Address 2: #93 Nguyễn Chí Thanh Street, Đống Đa District, Hanoi
Address 3: #64 Tràng Tiền Street, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hanoi

Decao

If you like to go punk, Decao is definitely not a bad choice! Decao offers fantastic street-styled clothes for target customers from above 15 years old. Here in Decao, we go weird and extraordinary!

Photo via znews-photo-td.zadn.vnAddress: #280 Huế Street, Hai Bà Trưng District, Hanoi
Facebook page: DECAO

Zara

Foreign visitors will definitely love to hear this name. This is the first year of Zara in Hanoi and if you are a fashion lover, do not miss this chance!

Website: www.zara.com/
Address: #191 Bà Triệu Street, Hai Bà Trưng District, Hanoi

Local Market

Before Tet, the Vietnamese will go shopping for foods and treats to keep in storage because all stores and markets will close at Tet. This will be a great chance if you want to experience the atmosphere of the people bustling preparing for Tet in the country. You should drop by some supermarkets; however, markets are still advisory since everything is cheaper they are just the place for everyone!

Đồng Xuân Market

Đồng Xuân is the most popular in Hanoi. You can get everything you need here, especially foods. For many children as well as many adults, Hôm market is a memory of childhood where they were taken here by their parents to enjoy delicious treats.

Address: Đồng Xuân Street, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hanoi

For more markets in Hanoi Old Quarter, read our article here

Hôm Market

If you want to buy accessories and clothing, just go to Hôm market. This place is praised as the heaven of cloths in the city. Most tailors usually go to this market to buy accessories for their clothes. Of course you will find many other things in this place but it is quite small so there is nothing much you can explore except for… cloths!

Address: Huế Street, Hai Bà Trưng District, Hanoi

Long Biên Market

Lying near the foot of Long Biên Bridge, Long Biên Market is indeed a place that most housewives will come at Tet. Long Biên is one of the biggest markets in the city. It is very popular especially for fruits sold at night. The market is divided into many sections from seafood, poultry to cattle meat.

Address: The foot of Long Biên Bridge, behind Trần Nhật Duật Street, Hanoi

Flower Market

Nhật Tân

Nhật Tân is a flower market near Tây Hồ (West Lake). Before Tết, many families will spend their time in Nhật Tân to contemplate the beauty of all the flowers before entering the special time of the year. Many people also go to Nhật Tân to pick up some beautiful peach blossom trees, marigolds or kumquats to décor their houses at Tết.

Address: Âu Cơ Street, Tây Hồ District, Hanoi

Quảng Bá

Quản Bá is a night flower market. Despite its small size, Quảng Bá still brings customers a dear feeling to the customers. Quảng Bá is unique, not only for its opening time at night but also for a very traditional sensation that it brings to all visitors. Before Tết, Quảng Bá is also one of the must-come places of Hanoians. The place is the most crowded at night from 1 – 2 am.

Address: Tây Hồ District, Hanoi

Hàng Mã Street

Hàng Mã is also a suggested place to go before Tết. If at Midfall festival, the street is decorated with thousands of sparkling floating lanterns, then before Tết, the whole street is covered in the yellow and red shades of votive paper (used as symbolic items to burn for the dead or ancestors at Tết), as well as things to decorate Vietnamese houses. The votive paper has many shapes and sizes. They can be a car, a house, a bicycle or dollars, and Vietnam Dongs. People believe that if they burn these, the ones from the other side (heaven) can receive them.

Address: Hang Ma Street, The Old Quarter, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hanoi.

Events before Tết

Hanoi Looktique (2nd – 4th Feb 2018)

This is an annual garage sale held in Hanoi. Here you will find everything you want from clothes, accessories, bags, shoes and even foods, especially snacks and Korean.

Address: #36 Lý Thái Tổ Street, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hanoi

Tết event in Lotte Mart (3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th Feb 2018)

If you do not know what to do before Tết, try dropping by Lotte Mart to participate in great Tết event with lots of interesting activities such as coloring old Đông Hồ paintings, shaping tò he (an edible children’s toy made of rice flour), writing in Chinese calligraphy and so on.

Address: 1st Flr, Lotte Department Store, 54 Liễu Giai Street, Ba Đình District, Hanoi
Time: 14:00 – 18:00

Exploring Vietnamese traditional clothes (1st – 15th Feb 2018)

This season, Lotte Mart again brings you some excitement with a fashion gallery of Vietnamese traditional clothes. Coming to the event, not only can you feast your eyes upon amazing fashion show of Vietnames Feudal Clothes, but you can also explore the wonder of Vietname’s culture hidden in layers of traditional silk.

Address: 1st Flr, Lotte Department Store, 54 Liễu Giai Street, Ba Đình District, Hanoi
Fashion show time: 19:30, 10th Feb 2018

The post Things to Do Before Tet 2018 in Hanoi appeared first on Maze Vietnam.

HANOI

Heineken Countdown Party

Time: 19:30 – 0:00; 31 December 2017
Address: Tonkin Free School Square (Quảng trường Đông Kinh Nghĩa Thục)

To get front row seats to view the breath-taking Tonkin Free School Square filled with all the joys, you can go to either Cong Coffee at 116 Cau Go or Highlands Coffee at 7 Dinh Tien Hoang.

Saigon Beer Countdown Party

Time: 20:00 – 0:00; 31 December 2017
Adress: In front of Hanoi Opera House

You can go to Cong Coffee at 46 Trang Tien, Cafe Terrace #6A Phan Chu Trinh, or Runam Bistro #6A Phan Chu Trinh to capture the whole view of Hanoi Opera House.

SAIGON

Tiger Remix Music Festival

(Lễ hội Âm nhạc Tiger Remix – Đánh thức bản lĩnh)

Time: From 16:00; 31 December 2017
Address: Ngã tư Lê Duẩn, Pasture , District 1
No entrance ticket required

The Tiger Remix Music Festival gathers Vietnam’s famous musicians.

New Year’s Countdown LIGHTS 2018

Đại tiệc ánh sáng

Time: From 20:00; 31 December 2017
Address: Đại lộ Nguyễn Huệ , Phường Bến Nghé (Nguyen Hue Street)
No entrance ticket required

Countdown in New Downtown – Kenton Node

Lễ Hội Phượng Hoàng 

Time: From 20:00; 31 December 2017
Address: 116A Nguyễn Hữu Thọ, Phước Kiển, Nhà Bè

The post New Year’s Eve 2018 Vietnam Guide – Events, Parties and Much More appeared first on Maze Vietnam.

Quan ho in Bac Ninh province, Vietnamese folk music originated around the 13th century, was recognized in 2009 as a part of UNESCO’s World Intangible Cultural Heritage. It is traditionally associated with Bac Ninh’s spring festivals that follow the celebration of the Vietnamese New Year (Tet). Up on the Lim hill-top stays a temple with a worship of Hieu Trung Hau, the founder of Quan Ho folk singing. Every 13th of lunar January, Northern Vietnamese people coincidentally go to the area to join one of the biggest spring festivals in the region of the Gulf of Tonkin, the Lim Festival.

Lim Festival falls between 12th and 14th of Lunar Calendar in the District of Tien Du, Bac Ninh province. Tonkin is the land with a huge fame of folk tales, legends and antique vestiges. Consequently, Bac Ninh, a city in the middle of Tonkin, has gained a big reputation for traditional festivals.

The date of 13th would be chosen as the main time over the process of the festival. Started with a big parade, the ritual attracts thousands of people in classic traditional costumes, with shining colors forming up a long line reaching nearly a kilometer. The biggest important activity out of all the rituals would be singing an honor song. All the village elders and notables need to assemble in front of the temple to make an offer to the deity, one of which is a ritual of sing Quan Ho. During this time, male and female singers are queuing in two paralleled lines, face to face and giving out grateful and admirable music lines to offer the inventor of Quan Ho folk singing.

The second section of the festival would be all about competitions. Those belong to traditional games such as martial arts, wrestling, chess, cooking and teetering. However, the most exciting part would be singing Quan Ho in the river. A boat of red lacquer trimmed with gold leaves the bank with two groups of singers. Group of female called “liền chị” is standing in the middle of the boat wearing a type of traditional costumes called “tứ thân”, while the group of men will be sitting at the front and back of the boat. The night of 12th would be the competition among Quan Ho villages and several tents from the teams are set up on the ground of a big yard on the hill of Lim.

With all these spectacular activities and traditional festivals, Bac Ninh has become the capital city of festivals in the land of Tonkin.

To see more photos, check the open album below or go to Flickr:
Photo Album Flickr
(Please use the left/right arrows to navigate in the files of the open album)

Words by Oanh Nguyen
Photos by Chi Nguyen

The post Lim Festival in Bac Ninh Province | Travel Photoblog appeared first on Maze Vietnam.

Legend has it that, once upon a time in Phong Lệ village, there stayed a green grass isle. One day, a man herded his flock of ducks onto the top of the isle. Suddenly, the ducks’ webbed foot got stuck in the soil that they could hardly move. Villagers named it “Isle of God” due to the fact that they thought the God showed up and grabbed the whole flock with his own hands. After that, everyone was afraid of this place and they never came here. However, on another day, some buffaloes got lost wandering off around the area, and the herd-boys (boys taking care of these buffaloes) climbed up the isle. There was nothing bad happening to them. Then rumor has it that, only the herd-boys (Muc Dong) have got the permission from God to hang out nearby. The isle has got to become a meeting destination for local herd-boys later on. It has been remained the same throughout many generations and gradually formed up into an official festival in Da Nang. This festival used to be held once every 3 years then 6 years and nowadays 12 years to remind of the children who look after the buffaloes in Phong Le Village.

During the last ten days of March when people get more free time from their on-field work, it comes to a busy period for the festival’s preparation. The landowners considered middle –peasants as the ones to take care of everything inside out. Apart from small flags of the herd-boys, the big ones are carefully provided by 13 big cliques in the village as well. Big flags are seen with 5-meter bamboo flagstaffs, featured images of Four Holy Animals which are Dragon, Oriental Unicorn, Tortoise and Phoenix; or Four Main Classes known as Intellectuals, Farmers, Workers and Traders respectively. They are common expressions in a typical traditional Asian nation like China or Vietnam. Above all, the most popular images are always agricultural items like a plough, a hoe or a shovel.

On March 29^th, villagers are all gathering, even those who are settling down in far-off cities. The herd-boys will hold their flags altogether walking around the rice paddies in order to wish for a prosperous and abundant crop ahead. 30^th of March is the main day of the festival, when everyone unites at a temple called “Temple of the Herd-boy”. The leader walks, prays and places a statue of Agricultural God into a palanquin carried by a group of 4 herd-boys of the same height to the isle.

People say that the moment when the Sun is above the top of the bamboo range is also the right time for the festival to be finished. Everyone comes back to a normal daily life with their field works in a strong belief in a successful crop waiting ahead.

The post Muc Dong Parade Festival in Da Nang | Vietnam Travel Fest appeared first on Maze Vietnam.

During the festival, people pray for peace, as well as preserve their worthy customs and religious mental life. Dolta festival is one of the biggest annual Khmer festivals to thank the Moon for good harvests.

Khmer people perform considerate duties such as offering steamed rice in pagodas and worshiping their ancestors at home. Two weeks before the main festival, the atmosphere in most of the areas become lively whilst everyone is getting a lot busier making traditional cakes, cleaning and decorating altars, visiting their grandparents, etc.

Luông Ba Sắc, a Khmer pagoda built 500 years ago, is now a religious home for over 1000 Buddhist monks. Up to now, Luông Ba Sắc has been still remaining such unique and traditional customs and activities. Many locals and even non-natives have become so familiar with the place as a praying venue in many occasions and events. Especially during Dolta festival, visitors come here very early in the morning, usually at around 3:00 AM.

Pagodas are followed by households as the next venues for the next activities. Depending on the economic status or budget of each family, the ceremony will be held in modesty or significance that some monks are invited to say the blessings and join the meals with the families.

To discover more about Khmer’s festivals, please click here

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After picking up their ancestors’ manes and taking them home from pagodas, Khmer people plait rafts with banana trunks displayed with loads of offerings of all kinds and let them float along some canals or rivers close by. If you ever have a chance to visit this community during this occasion, you are definitely welcomed with open arms. According to Khmer people, guests are considered as passengers appointed by their ancestors to visit their families.

Apart from the ritual mentioned above, ox racing is another activity that should be taken into account. A flat and wide piece of land covered with a low water level will be chosen, with 200 meters in length and 100 meters in width. Afterwards, they turn over the soil for a few times, so it can get muddy and encompass the zone with hedges. The end of the race is designed with a space behind keeping a safe distance for these racers. Two flags, one in blue and one in red, are plugged 5 meters away from each other at the starting and ending line. Your pair of ox is supposed to start and finish at the flag with the same color.

During the race, if any pair happens to fall out of the line, it is going to be disqualified. In case the pair of ox behind fortunately steps over the plough of the ox in front, it will be claimed as the winner. However, the commanders ought to stand firmly in order not to fall off, which is declared as losers.

At the crack of dawn, plenty of people all gather at the racecourse. Even for those who live many miles away, they still bring kitchen accessories along just for cooking and watching at the same time.

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