Bustling New Year festivals in Quan Ho homeland

03/02/2025 09:05

(BNP) - From ancient times to the present, Bac Ninh has been famous as a rich land in cultural and historical traditions. Especially, at the beginning of the new year, Bac Ninh has a variety of large-scale regional and national festivals, attracting a large number of tourists from all over the world to visit. Bac Ninh traditional festivals are a precious and unique heritage of Kinh Bac culture, not only dense but also preserved, containing many unique traditional beauties.


Bac Ninh is known as the homeland of traditional festivals.

Dong Ky firecracker procession festival

The Dong Ky firecracker procession festival has existed for a long time and is famous throughout the country for maintaining its unique traditional features. According to legend, this village festival commemorates and recreates the day Saint Thien Cuong, a general worshiped by the people as the village’s tutelary god, fought the enemy.

The festival takes place from January 4 to 6 (according to lunisolar calendar).


Amitabha Buddha statue at Phat Tich pagoda.

Phat Tich pagoda festival

The peony flower festival at Phat Tich pagoda is one of the province’s major festivals, dating back thousands of years and associated with Phat Tich pagoda (the birthplace of Vietnamese Buddhism), which has a long history and spiritual depth. The festival takes place from the 4th to the 5th of January (according to lunisolar calendar).

In 2014, Phat Tich pagoda was recognized as a Special National Relic. Currently, the pagoda still preserves two groups of national treasures including stone sacred animals and a stone statue of Amitabha Buddha. The Phat Tich festival has a ceremony and a festival. The ceremony includes incense offering at places of worship and belief, and the Great Compassion Dharma Assembly to pray for national peace and prosperity, and peace for the people and Buddhists on the evening of the 5th (according to lunisolar calendar). The festival includes cultural and artistic performances, folk games such as: singing Quan Ho folk songs on boats, volleyball, etc.


People cheer and encourage the two tug-of-war teams in Huu Chap quarter.

Huu Chap unique tug-of-war

According to tradition, on the 4th of January every year (according to lunisolar calendar), the people of Huu Chap quarter, Hoa Long ward (Bac Ninh city) jubilantly hold a festival to commemorate the merits of the 5 village tutelary gods who contributed to the resistance war against the Liang invaders in the 6th century. Along with the solemn worship ceremony to show the people’s gratitude to their ancestors, the Huu Chap festival also has a very unique tug-of-war ritual. Unlike the tug-of-war game in other localities, the people of Huu Chap use bamboo trunks as a rope. The tug-of-war team consists of strong young men in the village, divided into two teams, East and West, each team has 35 people. The two teams pull 3 rounds, the people stand around cheering, waiting for the third round to rush in to pull for the East team to win with the belief that if the East team wins, the Saint will bless them with a bountiful harvest.

In 2015, tug-of-war rituals and games in Vietnam, including Huu Chap village, were recognized by UNESCO as a multinational intangible cultural heritage.


Lim festival attracts a large number of tourists.

Lim festival

Lim festival is a unique cultural and artistic festival of Quan Ho villages, formed long ago. Lim festival takes place at Lim hill (Tien Du district) from January 12-13 (according to lunisolar calendar), to commemorate the two founders of Quan Ho folk songs, King Lady and Mr. Hieu Trung Hau. The two founders left a legacy for their descendants with more than 200 unique musical melodies, lyrical lyrics, and passionate love between couples.

Pilgrims attending Lim festival can also enjoy many other traditional local cultural activities, or participate in games such as flying trapeze, cockfighting, bird fighting, wrestling... which are traditional village festival games that Lim festival still preserves as a heritage.


Ba Chua Kho temple attracts thousands of visitors every day.

Ba Chua Kho temple festival

The festival opens on January 14 (according to lunisolar calendar), but since the beginning of the year, every day, the Ba Chua Kho temple area (Co Me village, Vu Ninh ward, Bac Ninh city) is always packed with people.

According to the concept of “borrowing at the beginning of the year and paying back the debt at the end of the year”, people who come to the festival all hope for prosperity in the new year.


Water pavilion at Do temple.

Do temple festival

Do Temple, also known as Ly Bat De temple, Co Phap temple, is located in Thuong quarter, Dinh Bang ward, Tu Son city. Do temple festival takes place over 3 days (from March 14-16, lunisolar calendar), the main festival is on March 15 - the day King Ly Cong Uan was crowned (March 15, Canh Tuat year - 1010) and issued the “Edict on the Transfer of the Capital”. The festival is divided into 2 parts: the ceremony and the festival.

The festival includes many cultural and sports activities such as: Chinese chess, volleyball, table tennis, wrestling, clay pot rice cooking, phu the cake wrapping contest, releasing doves, Quan ho singing, reformed theater, poetry exchange, and many folk games such as blindfolded pig catching, crossing the bridge, monkey bridge, and so on.


Overview of But Thap pagoda.

But Thap pagoda festival

But Thap pagoda festival is a traditional festival held annually on the 23rd and 24th of the third lunar month at But Thap pagoda, Thuan Thanh town. With activities imbued with traditional culture, the festival contributes significantly to preserving and promoting national cultural identity.

Activities in the But Thap pagoda festival are organized according to traditional rituals, solemn and suitable for contemporary life.


Dau pagoda - the oldest pagoda in Vietnam.

Dau pagoda festival

The Dau pagoda festival is organized solemnly and on a large scale on the 8th - 9th of the 4th lunar month with a large scale of three communes in the Dau - Luy Lau area (Thuan Thanh): Thanh Khuong, Tri Qua, Ha Man with 5 large pagodas worshiping Phap Van, Phap Vu, Phap Loi, Phap Dien and the To pagoda worshiping Mrs. Man Nuong - the mother of Tu Phap, with Dau pagoda as the center.

This is the festival considered to be the oldest still in existence today.

The Lunar New Year of At Ty and the spring festival season in the homeland of Bac Ninh - Kinh Bac with historical, cultural, religious and spiritual values ​​connecting the community are coming. Under the favorable spring weather, people and tourists have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the vibrant atmosphere but also calm enough, imbued with the unique identity of Kinh Bac region to enjoy the smooth and soulful Quan Ho melodies.