For a lot of foreign travelers, travel to Vietnam means learning about the uniqueness and highlight this own country. Some loves learning about the history, some desires to understand more about the folk culture, some wants to take part in the traditional activities. However, the question is why don’t you spend time experiencing all of them? Maybe, the limited time and money make you feel worried and embarrassed.Luckily, we have good information for you if you want to experience all the mentioned things in a journey. On April and , there is an interesting festival called Hung Temple Festival will happen in Phu Tho Province. This is really a good chance for you to learn about Vietnamese history and participate in many exciting activities here. Therefore, don’t miss this wonderful opportunity!
Why people organize Hung Temple Festival?
Hung Kings Temple Festival is a national festival. Each year, Vietnamese government and people organize it to commemorate and express the gratefulness to Hung Kings who had great desert in establishing and protecting the country in the past. This is one of the nice traditions of Vietnamese people to the previous generation. Besides, Hung Kings Temple Festival is a good chance for Vietnamese people remember their roots and raise the national solidarity.
When and Where Hung Temple Festival occur?
Hung Kings Temple Festival occurs on March in lunar calendar. In this year- 2017, it is on April in lunar calendar. Although there is only one day which is considered as the main day, many interesting activities have been organized for a quite long time, about 7 days around this main day.
This festival happens in Hung Temple which is located in Viet Tri city, Phu Tho province. Hung Temple consists of a large architectural complex with many famous relics of history such as Upper Temple, Central Temple, Lower Temple, Gieng Temple and the mausoleum area of Hung Kings. Coming here, you can not only contemplate the unique architecture and the art of sculpture but also feel the magnificent nature with majestic forest and poetic landscapes. This is really a wonderful time for you to both learn about Vietnamese history and explore traditional arts in a journey, which can help you to save a lot of time and money.
Series of interesting activities in Hung Kings Temple Festival
Faith Procession- a holy activity
Faith Procession is one of the ritual activities in Hung Temple Festival. This custom has been remained and protected for thousands of year, which has great meaning of culture and community. As usual, this year, the procession will start at the down of mountain and finish at the top of Thieng Mountain. During the route, it will stop in some minutes to thurify in Upper Temple.
If you can get more detail information about this festival, you can access: Indochina tours
The formation of procession is arranged in clear sequence. The first group is lion dance team. The second group consists of people who keep national and festival flags. The third is the team of drummers and gong players. The next is the group of the young men who hold sedan chair which is considered for Hung Kings. The last is the festival participants. The most unique thing is that the costume in this festival is really unique. The main color for the procession is red and yellow. Therefore, when taking part in the procession, you should wear in these color. It expresses your understanding about this festival.
The atmosphere during the procession is very exciting. The sound of drum and gong mixed with the laugh and the talk of people make an eventful space which is a highlight of Vietnamese traditional festival. However, only by taking part in, you can have the true feeling!
Banh Chung and Banh Giay- making contest
Banh Chung and Banh Giay are 2 traditional kinds of cake in Vietnam which are very popular and loved by not only Vietnamese people but also foreign tourists. Banh Chung and Banh Giay- making contest is one of the most expected activities in Hung Kings Temple Festival. This is a cultural activity which expresses the finesse of local people. In particular, this is a good chance to introduce the unique cuisine of Vietnam for the foreign visitors.
If you intend to enjoy these dishes before, this festival is really an ideal time. However, if you don’t know about them, you should try at any cost or you will be very regret after.
In this year, there will be 14 teams who come from Hanoi and many districts Phu Tho. As the rule, they will have 10 minutes to wrap 10 Banh Chung from 5 kilograms of sticky rice, 1 kilogram green bean, 1 kilogram of pork. Besides, they also have 15 minutes to make 10 Banh Giay. Of course, the time doesn’t consist of boiling. After that, they will have time to boil and complete their contest.
Water Puppet- an attractive activity in the festival
Water Puppet is a traditional art form in Vietnam. It is usually performanced in special events in this nation. The puppets are made of wood with many interesting shapes such as the buffaloes, the farmer and so on. The artists will control it to create the movement on the water. Through these movement, a meaningful story will be told.
In the festival, there are some certain areas which are spent for this activity. Revealing that this is always one of the most crowded areas. Therefore, if you want to enjoy, you should be light- footed to have a good position to watch.
As we say from the start, coming to Vietnam and taking part in Hung Temple Festival will bring you many wonderful experience. You will have chance to learn about Vietnamese history, join traditional customs, contemplate the beautiful landscapes and so on. In other words, it is really a many- in- one journey for you! So, why do you still hesitate?
See more:
Asia Travel Lover
