Before, during and after the forthcoming Lunar New Year 2024 holiday break, many cultural and artistic activities will take place in Da Nang to serve local residents and tourists. In addition to activities carried out by the city-level agencies, local districts will proactively organise many attractive festivals, contributing to bringing a cheerful atmosphere to the people during this special occasion.

The boat race on the Tuy Loan River is the most anticipated activity within the annual Tuy Loan village communal house festival. Photo: KHOI NGUYEN

Activities to welcome the Lunar New Year 2024 across the city will take place from January 26 to mid-February 2024 with diverse scales and forms.

The Lunar New Year 2024 festival will take place at the Hoa Vang District Administrative Center along Quang Xuong Street to Tuy Loan night market from January 26 to January 29. Head of the Culture and Information Department of Hoa Vang District Do Thanh Tan said that this year's festival will feature nearly 20 activities launched by 11 communes and other units in this suburban district.

During the festival, the 11 communes will set up a model of the old Tet space, recreating the old Tet market space with stalls such as ‘ao dai’ (Vietnamese traditional costume) and flower stalls.

In addition, each commune will chooses a man wearing traditional costumes to compete in calligraphy performances; join a competition to arrange Tet food trays, cooking ‘banh chung’ (square glutinous rice cake), ‘banh tet’ (round glutinous rice cake), flower bicycle parade and participation in folk games.

In addition, within the framework of the festival, schools, and art clubs, businesses and production facilities will also bring to the festive attractive activities such as space for ‘bai choi’ (the central region’s folk music), Tet costume contest, searching for artistic talent, tiktok cover dancing and humid spaces, spring flowers and displays of typical local products.

“This year’s activities have diverse and rich content, and forms to honour traditional cultural beauties, attracting tourists and local residents to Hoa Vang. At the same time, favourable conditions will be created for local residents and tourists, especially the young generations, to have the opportunity to experience Spring and New Year activities, contributing to preserving and promoting the country’s traditional Tet customs.”, Mr. Tan said.

In Son Tra District, in addition to cultural and artistic programmes serving the people during Tet, from February 2 to 17, on the east bank of the Han River Bridge, the Tet culinary culture festival of the former Quang land will take place with many attractive activities.

According to Head of the Son Tra District Culture and Information Department, Ms. Vo Thi Phuong, the festival will highlight 50 booths that in-depth introduce the specific value of unique seafood from the sea and forests on the Son Tra Peninsula.

This will also be a pivotal activity for the district to organise annual culinary and tourism events, contributing to promoting and enhancing local dishes. Along with that, the festival will also treat visitors with art, entertainment and exhibition programmes, culinary performances, folk games, magic shows and children’s play area.

“Coming to the festival, local residents and tourists have the opportunity to enjoy and experience about 30 delicious Tet dishes, selected from Da Nang and neighbouring Quang Nam Province, and interact with professional chefs. At the same time, they will participate in cooking activities of ‘banh chung’ and ‘banh tet’ to help people in difficult circumstances.”, Ms. Phuong said.

Meanwhile, Thanh Khe District plans to hold the 2024 Spring Flower Festival continuously for 10 days from February 8 to February 18 at the 29-3 Park with about 20 continuous performing arts programmes and folk dance competitions, children's painting competitions, human chess performances, and folk games.

The Tuy Loan village communal house festival in 2024 will be held on February 18 and 19 with many attractive festival and festival activities. Photo: X.D

Lien Chieu District will organise a traditional festival, ‘bai choi’ performances in Hoa Hiep Nam and Hoa Minh wards, a traditional boat racing festival on Cu De River on January 9. Hai Chau District will organise nearly 10 cultural, artistic and sports activities during the Lunar New Year 2024 such as the children’s programme ‘Dance to welcome Spring 2024’, a flower arranging contest and making a traditional five-fruit tray, a Tet painting exhibition, a chess tournament to welcome the spring.

When it comes to the New Year festivals, it is impossible not to mention the village festivals in wards and communes in the city. Among them, there are a number of famous festivals that are organised early by the locality such as the Tuy Loan village communal house festival in Hoa Phong Commune, Hoa Vang District, Da Nang, taking place on February 18 and 19, the Hoa My and Hoa Phu communal house festivals, Hoa Minh Ward, Lien Chieu District, fishing festivals in Thanh Khe and Son Tra districts.

According to Head of the Department of Cultural and Family Life Building, Department of Culture and Sports Le Thi Thu Trang, at the beginning of the year, about 10 traditional cultural festivals of different scales will take place in the city, mainly the village communal house festival.

Reporting by KHOI NGUYEN - Translating by A.THU