At the event (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – A ceremony took place in Hanoi on the evening of December11 to celebrate 10 years since Vietnam's Giong festival was accredited by theUNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Held at the national special relic Phu Dong Temple in outlying Gia Lam district's PhuDong village, the celebration featured artperformances and a display of local traditional products.
Speaking at the event, Nguyen Duc Hong, Vice Chairman of theGia Lam People’s Committee, said the district will continue its effort topreserve of promote the festival and the temple.
He unveiled the local plan of building Phu Dong village intoa tourism destination of the capital city in 2021, focusing on the local keyproducts of eco, agricultural, and cultural tourism.
Giong festival is held annually between the seventh andninth day of the fourth lunar month to commemorate Saint Giong, a local herowho sacrificed his life to defeat invaders. It is celebrated with processions,rituals and performances.
The Vietnam Culture and Art Sub-Institute said “The festivalfollows a format written in an ancient book called Hoi Le (FestivalRegulations), which was passed down through the generations.”
The main day of the event is the last day of the festival, when flags arecarried from the Mother Temple to the Upper Temple and sacrifices are made.People perform ritual dances and songs, while battles against the invaders arere-enacted.
In 2010, UNESCO recognised Vietnam’s Giong festival held at PhuDong Temple and at Soc Temple in Hanoi’s Soc Son district as IntangibleCultural Heritage of Humanity.
The recognition of UNESCO has led to a series of research onits cultural and historical values as well as the promotion of the heritage onthe media. Nearly 72 billion VND (3.1 million USD) have been invested on restoringthe Phu Dong Temple and building necessary infrastructure serving the festivalin Gia Lam./.
VNA
