Opening exhibition "Old and New Dragon Boat Festival" at Hoang Thanh Thang Long

Opening exhibition “Old and New Dragon Boat Festival” at Hoang Thanh Thang Long

24/05/2019

Doan Ngo is a traditional New Year of Vietnam and a number of East Asian countries, taking place on the 5th of the fifth lunar month. Folk often called Tet “kill insects”, this is considered to be the most strange festival of Vietnamese people. In the old court, the Lunar New Year festival was a regular ceremony, the emperor suffered a heaven to perform a number of rituals to commemorate the gods, the filial piety of the parents and the mandarins …

Dragon Boat Festival is related to agriculture and weather. May is the time to change the season from spring to summer. Therefore, people always find ways to prevent diseases for humans, animals and crops. These practices are passed down from generation to generation into customs and rituals.

The biggest and deepest meaning of Doan Ngo festival is the day of “universal medicine”. In addition, Tet is also an opportunity for farmers to offer heaven and earth, spirits, ancestors of early-season fruit products with gratitude and pray for crops that will not be destroyed by insects, healthy descendants, peace.

On the occasion of the Lunar New Year, families often practice some customs to eradicate “insects”.

According to the old concept, when waking up to kill insects right away because they usually hide deep in the stomach, only on this day will emerge and use food to eliminate. Usually eat sticky wine, ú ash cake … for drunk insects, eat sour-flavored fruits to dead insects, drink royal wine, Bodhi bone, coconut water to poison. Children are often smeared with lime or alcohol on the forehead, fontanel, and navel to reassure; wear a multicolored talisman, a bag of dry-smelling chestnuts, tying only five colors to the wrists and ankles; wear accent coats; dyeing trough nails; ear piercing for girls; women shampoo their fragrant leaves … On time at noon (11h-13h), often go to pick wormwood, cloves, useful samples, perilla, fig, lotus, … about chopping, drying as medicine for both year. In particular, folk also take worms with pictures of zodiac hanging in front of the house to avoid illness and exorcism. In addition, there are customs of trees, tree diseases and lunar Tet …

This morning, May 24, 2019, at Hoang Thanh Thang Long, the Opening Ceremony of “Dragon Boat Festival of the past and present” with the participation of artisans, representatives of Hoang Thanh and the students.

The traditions and customs of the New Year have partly been expressed through artifacts, sculptures, fan collections, …

Also in the Opening Ceremony today students have participated in a lot of folk games such as O Quan quan, play pass, blindfold, …

In addition, they also had the experience of making clay, making fans, making kites, …

“Old and New Dragon Boat Festival” will be on display until June 9, 2019

Folk games will be on display until June 30, 2019

Sincerely invite you to visit the Imperial City and blend into the atmosphere of the Lunar New Year in Hoang Thanh.

Some special activities, which need to be registered in advance for the Organizing Committee to arrange performances:

–Water Puppet Performance; Tableau Ceremony Fan Ban.

– Communicating with artisans: Artisan making Lan Tuyet fan, Anh Tuyet culinary artisan, Tuyet Mai traditional medicine craftsman.

Contact Info:

Thang Long Heritage Conservation Center – Hanoi

Address: Số 19C Hoàng Diệu, Ba Đình, Hà Nội.

Phone: 024. 3 7345427.

Hotline: 0913.012.021; 0904.386.156.

Reenacting the Farewell to the Old and Welcome to the New ceremony at Thang Long Imperial Citadel

Vietnamese Tet 2025 program and experience traditional rituals at the Central Area of Thang Long Imperial Citadel – Hanoi

Visitors can visit the outside area and the foot of Hanoi Flag Tower.