Many festivals are being organised across Da Nang to welcome the spring, honour ethnic communities' identity, and offer a traditional festive atmosphere to tourists as well.

The traditional boat race on the Tuy Loan River is the most attractive activity of the Tuy Loan Village Communal House Festival. Photo: X.D

This year’s festivals are held on a larger scale with many fascinating and close-to- community activities, thereby creating a bustling and exciting atmosphere at the beginning of the new lunar year and meeting the needs of the public.

In just the first half of the first lunar month, five traditional festivals were taken place in the city, each attracting hundreds of people and tourists.

Among them, the Tuy Loan Village Communal House Festival was organised in Hoa Phong Commune, Hoa Vang District, on February 18 and 19 (the 9^th and 10^th of the first lunar month).

According to authorities in Hoa Phong Commune, this year’s festival featured many solemn traditional festive activities, including a royal honour ceremony to confer diplomas, and incense-offering and gift-giving ceremonies in commemoration of national heroes and ancestors. There were also a wide range of attractive competitions such as ‘bai choi’, a Tuy Loan Quang noodle culinary programme, a rice paper grilling contest, a ‘banh tet’ wrapping contest, along with and folk games.

The new feature of this year's festival was that the aforementioned activities were spread evenly on both February 18 and 19. Notably, the traditional boat race had the participation of four racing teams from Tuy Loan Village. Thanks to that, the festival attracted a large number of local people, neighbouring wards and communes, and tourists.

Mr. Nguyen Cong Duc, a resident of Hoa Nhon Commune, Hoa Vang District, shared that he felt very excited at this year’s festival. He added that the festival provided the good opportunity for locals and tourists to have fun in the early days of spring.

“Hopefully, this festival will be maintained for a long time so that the people of Hoa Vang District in general, and the young generation in particular, can enjoy the joyful Tet atmosphere and gain more knowledge about the customs and traditions left by their ancestors” Mr. Duc remarked.

Also on February 18, the 2024 Lien Chieu District Open Traditional Boat Race took place on Cu De River. The race returned on the Cu De River after a 4-year hiatus. It attracted nearly 200 athletes from 8 male and female boat racing teams from Ngu Hanh Son District, Cam Le District, Hoa Lien and Hoa Bac communes (Hoa Vang District), and Hoa Hiep Nam and Hoa Hiep Bac wards (Lien Chieu District).

According to the organisers, the Open Traditional Boat Race in Lien Chieu District is an indispensable spiritual dish for local people on the occasion of Tet. This activity aims to pray for peace and good weather in the new lunar year.

Lien Chieu District is a locality with many traditional festivals in the first lunar month. In particular, two festivals were held consecutively in Hoa Minh Ward, including the Hoa My Village Communal House Festival from February 19 - 22, and the Hoa Phu Village Communal House Festival on February 21 and 22.

Mr. Phan Minh Quy, Head of the Organising Board of the Hoa My Village Communal House Festival, said that the festival's activities were pure and practical, creating a joyful space for villagers in the early days of spring.

The Hoa My Village Communal House Festival in Lien Chieu District features many cultural, artistic and sports activities, attracting a large number of locals and tourists. Photo: X.D

From February 23 - 25, a ceremony to pray for peace, and a number of folk games, will be held in Lien Chieu District’s Hoa Hiep Nam Ward.

In the first and second lunar months, many festivals will take place in Hoa Vang District, including communal house festivals of Bo Ban, Duong Lam, Xuan Phu and Cam Toai villages, and the Tra Kiem stove-off Festival.

Notably, in late of the first lunar month, the 2024 'Cau Ngu' (Fish Worshipping) Festival with many attractive activities will be organised in Son Tra District.

Similarly, Thanh Khe District will organise the ‘Cau Ngu’ Festival at the Ha Khe Square, Nguyen Tat Thanh Street with nearly 20 cultural and sports activities from February 27 - 29.

Vice Chairman of the Thanh Khe District People's Committee Nguyen Huu Cong noted that the ‘Cau Ngu’ Festival is identified as a highlight cultural and festival activity of the district to lure more tourists and develop the local economy. This meaningful activity contributes to arousing the sense of responsibility of the community in voluntarily preserving and promoting intangible cultural values in the district for future generations.

​Reporting by KHOI NGUYEN - Translating by M.DUNG, TRIEU TUNG