The beginning of 2023 is an exciting period for the cultural sector in Da Nang’s Thanh Khe District with successful organization of the ‘Cau Ngu’ or Fish Worshipping Festival for fishermen, along with preparations for the Thac Gian Communal House Festival. This year, the two festivals are celebrated on a bigger scale as compared with previous years as they feature more exciting activities in order to statisfy the pubic demand for belief and entertainment, as well as create an exciting atmosphere for locals and tourists.

Bigger scale of the ‘Cau Ngu’ festival

In 2021 and 2022, ceremonies of praying for a safe and bountiful fishing season were only held at the temples in Thanh Khe Tay, Thanh Khe Dong, and Xuan Ha wards due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the festival only featured tradditional rituals without any festive events. This year, the festival was celebrated in Thanh Khe District on a bigger scale with certain solemn traditional ceremonies and exciting folk games in order to meet local people's expectations due to the district’s favorable socio-economic conditions.

This year’s festival featured many solemn rituals and exciting traditional festive activities.

This year’s festival took place from February 8 - 10 with many solemn rituals and exciting traditional festive activities. Specifically, the rituals included the procession of the Sea God, a funeral oration delivered to the God of Water, and traditional rituals to honour ancestors and to pray for peace and prosperity throughout the year.

Besides, the festive events included various exciting competitions such as fishing net knitting, tug-of-war, paragliding performance, motor surfing, and beach football, along with cultural activities like ‘Bai Choi’ (singing while acting as playing cards) and tuong (classic drama) performances. Besides, there were booths displaying typical products of the wards and products processed from seafood, and a documentary exhibition entitled "Hoang Sa belongs to Viet Nam".

The ‘Cau Ngu’ Festival offers a unique insight into Da Nang’s rich culture and it is part of the spiritual life of coastal communities in the city, and Central Viet Nam as a whole.

The festival also offers an opportunity for the district’s fishermen to pray for a safe season at sea, and a bumper catch.

Thanh Khe District People's Committee Vice Chairman Nguyen Huu Cong, highlighted great efforts district authortities have made to hold the much-awaited event of the year on a bigger scale in an attempt to preserve the local cultural identity, as well as take the district’s location advantages with a coastline of more than 4.3km, and promote the district’s marine strenghs with a long-standing development. The successful organisation of this festival desmontrated great efforts of the local government and people in preserving and promoting local cultural heritage. At the same time, it is an authentic evidence for physical behaviours and spiritual practices towards Viet Nam’s sea and islands among Thanh Khe residents, especially fishermen.

Promoting cultural and historic heritage

According to Thanh Khe District Office of Culture and Information, the 7^th edition of the Thac Gian Communal House Festival promises more attractive event performances as well as surprises for locals and tourists.

The festival will return to Da Nang after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual event will be brought back, and it will be held in Thanh Khe District on March 6 and 7. It will feature many solemn traditional festive activities and exciting folk games. Apart from such familiar events as village-level chess contest, and competitions of beautiful handwriting, and calligraphy, there are also many new events, including a night of the poetry exchange, ‘Ao Dai’  (Vietnamese traditional long dress) show, a sticky rice cooking competition, and pigeon releasing.

The Thanh Khe District authority are exerting every effort to make thorough prepartions for this festival, and ensure its sucessful organsation in a bid to leave a deep impression on local residents along with domestic and foreign tourists. Furthermore, the intention is to preserve and promote local traditions and culture, especially the values of the Thac Gian Communal House national-level architectural and artistic relic.

In order to meet local people’s expectations, the festival will return to the district after two-year pandemic break, and it will take place on the second full moon in the 2023 lunar calendar instead of the 10^th day of the third lunar month to celebrate the death anniversary of the Hung Kings. Especially, the district’s residents who live far away from home are encourged to return home to participate in the festival in order to remind them of their roots and respect our nation's age-old tradition of ‘Drinking water, remember its source’

The Thac Gian Communal House is expected to undergo restorations this year due to some of its degraded items. The organisation of the festival on a bigger scale and the restoration of this national cultural relic aim at preserving and promoting local traditions and cultural identities, especially the values of the national architectural and artistic relic, thereby, raising awareness of protecting and preserving the local cultural and historic heritage among local residents, especially young people.

Reporting by XUAN DUNG – translating by H.L