Calendar distribution ceremony enacted in Thua Thien-Hue

Ban Soc ceremony (a ceremony to distribute calendars for royal mandarins during Nguyen Dynasty) is enacted at Ngo Mon Gate of Hue Imperial Citadel by Hue Monuments Conservation Centre. The event attracts a lot of locals and visitors. (Photo: VNA)

Ban Soc ceremony was held on the first day of the last lunar month during Nguyen Dynasty (1802–1945). (Photo: VNA)

Vietnamese people during feudal era mostly lived on agriculture. Calendar, as the matter of fact, was important for them to calculate days for cultivation. In the photo: Ban Soc ceremony is enacted (Photo: VNA)

The first grand calendar distribution ceremony was held in the beginning of Minh Mang King’s reign (1820–1841). (Photo: VNA)

Nguyen kings organised the Ban Soc ceremony to distribute calendars for royal mandarins at Ngo Mon (Noon Gate). Ordinary people received calendar in their localities. (Photo: VNA)

Ban Soc ceremony had been held in Thai Hoa Palace Court until King Minh Mang (1791–1841) decided to organised it at Ngo Mon Gate in 1841 so that the ceremony could be closer to ordinary people. (Photo: VNA)

Reenactment of Ban Soc ceremony in Hue Imperial Citadel offers locals and tourists a chance to turn back time to the Nguyen Dynasty to understand more about local culture. (Photo: VNA)