Giving fans ritual is reproduced during the Doan Ngo Festival at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel in Hanoi (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - An ancient ritual was recreated over the weekend in Hanoi as part of the opening of the Doan Ngo festival, held at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel.
During the Later Le Dynasty (1533 - 1789), kings would host a ritual to givefans to all mandarins during the Doan Ngo festival in summer.
The ritual was part of various traditional cultural activities organised bythe Thang Long Heritage Conservation Centre.
Phan Duy Thang, deputy director of the centre, said the programme aims topreserve traditional cultural values and educate younger generations.
Doan Ngo festival is held annually on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month,which falls on June 7 this year.
As the festival falls during summer, people often hold family reunions andenjoy fresh fruits and fermented glutinous rice.
Historian Le Van Lan highly appreciated the effort of the centre in preparingcostumes and offerings for the rituals.
“This is the first time such a ritual reappeared in front of the public, thecentre experts made it accurately follow how it is described in the historicalbooks,” said Lan.
Attending the programme, visitors, particularly children, will have a chance toenjoy traditional fan-making activities, folk games and a water puppetry show.
A highlight of the event includes an exhibition on the history of the Doan Ngo festivalfrom past to present.
Through the artefacts and paintings of Henri Oger (a colonial administrator inFrench Indochina), the culinary art of artisan Nguyen Anh Tuyet and a uniquehandmade paper fan collection on Thang Long's landscapes of artisan Lan Tuyet,visitors will understand more about the traditional celebration of Doan Ngo festival.
The exhibitions on the Doan Ngo festival and Vietnamese folk games will runthrough June 9 and June 30, respectively, at the Thang Long Royal Citadel.–VNA
VNA
