Thay Pagoda, one of the oldest pagodas in Vietnam, is a popular tourist destination.
Located on the stunning Sai Mountain in Sai Son Commune, Quoc Oai District, about 20 kilometers from downtown Hanoi, the special national relic appears tranquil in the hazy mist.
Every year, from the fifth to the seventh day of the third Lunar month (from April 24-26), the lively Thay Pagoda Festival is held in honor of Tu Dao Hanh, a revered Vietnamese Buddhist monk who lived from 1010 to 1225.
| The Thay Pagoda Festival this year falls from April 24 to 26. Photo: Duy Khanh/The Hanoi Times |
| The Thay Pagoda Festival consists of two parts: the ceremonies and the folk performances, featuring a wide range of ancient worship rituals passed down from generation to generation. |
| The Moc Duc or “statue bath” with fragrant water boiled from five kinds of leaves is considered the most important ritual performed by the respected elders of the area. |
| To show the villagers’ respect for Tu Dao Hanh, the Zen master’s tablet is dressed in a Buddhist robe. |
| The palanquin procession ceremony is performed by villagers from the four hamlets of Da Phuc, Thuy Khue, Sai Khe and Khanh Tan in Sai Son commune, starting from the courtyard of Thay Pagoda to Go Thien. |
| Visitors to the Thay Festival can also experience the reenactment of rural daily life and production, participate in folk games such as human chess, swinging, blindfolded pot banging, and tug-of-war, and enjoy traditional cultural and artistic performances, including water puppetry and UNESCO-recognized quan ho (love duet singing). |
| The three-day festival attracts a large number of Buddhist followers, locals, and foreign tourists. |
Tuyen Quang to host big cultural festival in September
Thanh Tuyen Festival will be held from September 12 to 14 in the northern province of Tuyen Quang.
Painting contest held for buffaloes joining ploughing festival in Ha Nam
A buffalo painting contest for the Doi Son Tich Dien (ploughing) Festivalwas held on February 10, or the sixth day of the Lunar New Year in Doi Son commune, Duy Tien district, the northern province of Ha Nam.
Pho Hien folk cultural festival kicks off in Hung Yen
The Pho Hien Folk Cultural Festival opened in the northern province of Hung Yen on April 21.
Sam Son sea festival slated for April 21
The 2018 sea festival of Sam Son city of the north central coastal province of Thanh Hoa will take place on April 21, heard a press conference held in the city on April 12.
Ha Long Carnival opens in Quang Ninh
The Ha Long Carnival, a highlight of the Ha Long – Quang Ninh tourism week 2019, opened in Bai Chay and Hon Gai tourism area in the northern province of Quang Ninh on April 28.
