The Quan The Am (Avalokitesvara) Festival 2024 is expected to be held on a larger scale to deserve its title of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Viet Nam. In addition, the festival will feature many new highlights, promising to attract a large number of tourists and local people.

In 2024, the Avalokitesvara Festival promises many new and attractive activities fpr both tourists and locals to experience. IN PHOTOS: Exciting boat race on the Co Co River as part of the the Avalokiteśvara Festival in 2023. Photo: THANH PHUONG

Meaningful Buddhist activities closely associated with people's lives

Vice Chairman of Ngu Hanh Son District People's Committee Ta Tu Binh informed that this year’s festival is scheduled to take place from March 26 - 29 (from the 17^th to 20^th days of the second lunar month) at the campus of the Quan The Am Pagoda in Ngu Hanh Son District’s Hoa Hai Ward, and along neighbouring roads. It will feature more than 30 religious, cultural - art, physical education - sports activities.

In recent days, the preparatory works for the upcoming festival are underway. Venerable Thich Hue Vinh, Abbot of the Avalokiteśvara Pagoda in Hoa Hai Ward, said that the origin of the Avalokiteśvara Festival is a purely religious festival, so the pagoda hopes to have typical Buddhist activities during the festival.

The highlights of the religious activities during the festival will be the Quan Am retreat course, and a camp co-organised by the Executive Board of the city's Buddhist Sangha and the district authorities. At the same time, lectures, meditation courses, and dharma forums will be held throughout the festival.

“These activities will contribute to arousing compassion, charity, and goodness in every person, and educating young people in all three aspects of virtue, intelligence and physical education. Furthermore, the festival is the crystallisation of the values of Buddhist culture, and people and land of the Marble Mountains, as well as clearly demonstrate the harmonious combination between Dharma and Nation, and Nation and Dharma" Venerable Thich Hue Vinh remarked.

Besides, the festival will have many new features such as traditional boat race on the Co Co River with reenactment of historical scenes, a live drawing competition about the Avalokiteśvara Festival, a writing contest about works displayed at the Van Hanh Library, Olympic Run "For Peace", and many other artistic activities and folk games.

Vice Chairman of the Ngu Hanh Son District People's Committee Ta Tu Binh said that compared to previous years, this year's activities will be more diverse and will be organised on a larger scale and more methodically.

Specifically, the boat race is no longer a purely sporting activity, but it also recreates the scene of General Tran Khat Chung rescuing Princess Huyen Tran, which is rich in historical and cultural value and has the participation of 7 districts.

Moreover, the Olympic Run ‘For Peace’ will invite representatives from five consulates general in Da Nang and foreign embassies in Viet Nam to participate in, aiming to creating conditions for countries to learn about Vietnamese culture.

This year’s festival coincides with the 49^th anniversary of the Liberation of Da Nang (March 29, 1975 - March 29, 2024), so the district authorities plan to organise a parade of flower-decorated vehicles to celebrate the city's liberation anniversary as well as promote the forthcoming festival on main streets.

One of 4 cultural highlights in Da Nang

Along with the Da Nang International Fireworks Festival, the Asian Golf Tournament and the Da Nang Asian Film Festival, the Avalokiteśvara Festival is also identified as one of the four highlight cultural events and festivals in the city.

Mr. Ta Tu Binh said that the festival not only makes an important contribution to preserving and promoting the unique cultural values of a special national-level relic site Marble Mountains, but is also an important information channel advertising the city's image to everyone in the country and the world.

For a long time, the festival has been considered an attractive tourism product for domestic and international tourists.

According to Mr. Ta Tu Binh, the Ngu Hanh Son District is now home to four heritage sites, of which the Avalokiteshvara Festival was recognised as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2021.

"Reality proves that cultural heritages always create attraction for tourist destinations as well as become a tourism symbol of the city. Therefore, we hope that the city leaders will pay more attention and create more highlights so that the festival can increasingly enhance its reputation and spread strongly, thereby luring more tourist to the city in the coming time” Mr. Binh said.

The district is trying to diversify tourism services by connecting all tourist attractions, pagodas, caves, and ‘ma nhai’ of the Marble Mountains scenic spot. Thus, visitors can understand cultural and historical values and have wonderful and complete experiences here, he noted.

Head of the Management Board of the Marble Mountains scenic spot Nguyen Van Hien said that during the festival days, the number of tourists flocking to the Marble Mountains scenic spot will be very large, especially domestic tourists. Therefore, the Management Board always focuses on promoting images of the heritage site to help tourists have a better understanding of the values of heritage.

Furthermore, the ensuring of security, order and environmental sanitation is a priority during the upcoming festival.

Reporting by THANH PHUONG - Translating by M.DUNG, T.TUNG