Coming back to Lim festival

Lim Festival always attracts a large number of people and tourists.

Lim Festival has profound spiritual significance to the life of the locals in Bac Ninh Province, playing an important role in preserving Vietnamese culture. With two main parts including the rituals and the festival when many recreational activities take place, this spring festival will give you a glimpse into the beliefs and culture of Vietnamese people.

It is said that this festival has its roots in the local festivals for singing and dancing, especially Quan Ho singing. Others say that the Lim Festival became the regional festival in the 18th century when Nguyen Dinh Dien, a Mandarin restored many temples, pagodas, and festivals in Bac Ninh, including the Lim Festival. It was originally a commune festival held yearly in the eighth lunar month. Over time, the Lim Festival went on to be held in the first lunar month.

When the Lim Festival begins, Tien Du District comes alive with many cultural activities. Rituals take place on the main festival day (the 13th) when local people dress in colorful traditional garments and parade up Lim Hill to engage in traditional incense offerings at Lim Pagoda - the place to worship Nguyen Dinh Dien. Many other impressive rituals take place during the Lim Festival such as the rituals at Co Lung Temple, Hong Van Tomb, Do Nguyen Thuy Tomb, ancestral temples, etc.

The most exciting part of the Lim Festival in Vietnam is Quan Ho singing, which was recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Mankind by UNESCO in 2009. Quan ho singing has been performed in Vietnam since the 12th century on all sorts of stages such as pagoda courtyards, communal houses, hills, and even on boats. All the singers dress in traditional costumes, taking turns singing in pairs of one male and one female or in groups. While performing, the singers will interact with audiences and give them betel and areca to taste.

Quan Ho singing at Lim Festival.

In addition to Quan Ho singing, Lim Festival enchants tourists with many traditional contests, fairs, and folk games such as human chess, water puppetry, swinging, wrestling, blindman’s buff, lion dances, cock-fighting, and more. Don't miss out on the weaving competition, where you can admire how the locals weave and perform Quan Ho singing at the same time.