Chuong village is located near the Day River in Thanh Oai District, Ha Noi. This village famous for not only the traditional craft of making palm leaf conical hats but also a village festival with unique traditional culture.
The Chuong Village Festival is held on March 10 of the lunar calendar to commemorate Bo Cai Dai Vuong (Great King) Phung Hung. The festival not only creates a place for community cultural activities but also expresses a deep meaning relating to women’s fate during the feudal period. In the early morning, the locals flock to the village pagoda and communal house to attend the festival.
In the past, Chuong village festival was the only chance in a year for women to participate in social activities, so it showed the aspiration of women in the countryside to change their fate.
Participating in the festival, visitors are not only fascinated by a solemn offering rice to commemorate Bo Cai Dai Vuong Phung Hung, but also traditional cultural activities and folk games such as: duck catching, chess playing and making colorful To he (traditional toys made from rice paste).
One of the most exciting events during the festival is the rice cooking competition among girls in the village who look graceful in four panel traditional dresses. Each term has three women who are walking around the communal house’s yard while using a torch to cook rice in earthen pots hung from a pole. It is a difficult technique that requires their skillfulness.
With distinctive cultural features, the Chuong Village Festival deserves to be listed in the treasure of the 7,000 folk festivals in Viet Nam.
Here are some photos of the Festival:
Source: VPG
