This morning, June 3 (the 5^th day of the 5^th lunar month), Da Nang dwellers are busy buying sticky rice wine, fruits, and cakes made of glutinous rice flour dipped in lye for the Mid-year Festival, also known as the Parasite-Killing Festival or ‘Tet Doan Ngo’ in Vietnamese, a meaningful occasion given its intention of preventing pestilence and diseases, evils and illnesses.

Illustrative image (Source: DNO)

The Da Nang market is witnessing the bustling sales of a wide range of products on this festive occasion, and their prices have gone up slightly as compared to normal days.

The price of ‘banh u tro’, which are pyramid-shaped sticky rice cakes wrapped in banana leaves, is set at VND20,000-VND80,000 /package, depending on the weight. Meanwhile, the types of ‘che’ (sweet soup) still remain at 5,000 VND/cup.

The prices of some fruit types with high purchasing power, such as mango, mangosteen and watermelon have slightly increased by 10-15%.

This year, the number of lychees is not much due to the bad season, unlike the previous year.

It is expected that the output of agricultural products consumed during this year’s festival will be at 330 - 350 tonnes/day, an increase of about 100 tons as compared to weekdays.

In addition to fruit and flowers, the prices of highly consumed items such as chickens and ducks are kept stable.

‘Doan’ means the beginning, and ‘Ngo’ means mid-day, therefore the celebration of Tet Doan Ngo is at the middle of the day when the solar energy is at its maximum. The herbs harvested at this very moment are thought to be excellent for curing colds, itching or intestinal diseases, and people living in the countryside often go picking herbs together at this time.

On this day, farmers eradicate all pests and start growing their crops for the new season. Creatures and people must become stronger in both their health and their souls. Like other traditional Vietnamese festivals, spiritual rites are among the essential parts of the festival, and in every family, offerings to the spirit world are made to commemorate ancestors.

Reporting by GIAO THUY - Translating by A.T