Ha Long puts spotlight on ethnic cultures

Rich culture of ethnic communities in northeastern regions was highlighted at Carnival Ha Long 2012.
The rich culture of ethnic communities in northern coastal Quang Ninhprovince and northeastern regions was highlighted at the spectacularCarnival Ha Long 2012 held on May 1 night.

An eventto mark the province's Ha Long Bay being listed as one of the New SevenWonders of Nature, the carnival was the biggest ever since first heldfive years ago.

Thousands of people, including manyforeign tourists, enjoyed special performances featuring the hospitalityand beauty of Quang Ninh's people and land.


In addition, performances by art troupes from the Republic ofKorea , China , Laos and the Philippines created extra culturaldiversity at the event.

A colourful parade gatheringthousands of ethnic people living in the province took place on thecity's main street alongside the beach.

Unlike otherprevious carnivals, where most of the performers were professionalartists, this year's event gathered more than 3,000 ethnic performersdrawn from the San Chay, San Diu, Tay and Dao.

The tourists also had a chance to learn about the unique cultural ofdifferent ethnic groups when several traditional festivals and customswere presented.

They wallowed in the festiveatmosphere of a traditional wrestling competition of Quang Yen district,or a rice-planting kick off ritual from women of the Ha Nam Island inYen Hung district.

While the San Diu group living inVan Don replicated a traditional wedding, the Dao, Hoang Bo and SanChay groups presented folk dances.

The carnival became more beautiful with a spectacular fireworks performance presented by French artists.

The parade was also joined by a group of 300 local Buddhists, aimingto promote the spiritual culture of the province, considered as a cradleof Vietnamese Buddhism. The 1,068m above sea level Yen Tu Mountain inthe province is the place where King Tran Nhan Tong in the 13th centuryfounded the Truc Lam Zen School . The site attracts thousandsof pilgrims every year, contributing significantly to the province'ssocio-economic development.

Culture, Sports andTourism Minister Hoang Tuan Anh, President of the New7Wonders FoundationBernard Weber and representatives of other New Seven Wonders of Natureparticipated in the event.-VNA

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