Parade ritual in Con Son pagoda (Source: VNA) Hai Duong (VNA) – The Con Son-Kiep Bac AutumnFestival 2017 kicked off in the northern province of Hai Duong on October 5 or the 16th day of the eighth lunar month.
The festival aimed to mark the 717th deathanniversary of General Tran Hung Dao (or Tran Quoc Tuan), one of the mostrevered figures in Vietnam’s history.
Under the Tran Dynasty (1225 – 1400), the Supreme Commanderled the Dai Viet (Great Vietnam) army to victories over three major Mongolianinvasions, making him one of the most accomplished military strategists in the world history. He passed away on the 20th day of the eighth lunar month in 1300 at the ageof 70.
To commemorate the hero, local residents built Kiep Bac temple, which wasrecognised as a national heritage site in 1962 and a special national heritagesite in 2012.
The festival featured a range of traditional rituals and cultural activities suchas incense-offering ceremonies, a water puppetry festival and a military paradeon river.
Covering an area of more than 8 hectares in Chi Linh town,the Con Son - Kiep Bac historical site is closely associated with the lives andcareers of Tran Hung Dao and great poet Nguyen Trai (1380-1442), who wasrecognised as a Great Man of Culture of the World by UNESCO in 1980.
The Con Son - Kiep Bac spring and autumn festivals wererecognised as national intangible cultural heritage in 2012.
The Autumn Festival will last until October 9.-VNA
VNA
