A series of cultural activities will take place in the ancient town of Hội An in the annual Nguyên Tiêu (the full moon of the first lunar month of the year) Festival from Sunday to February 15th.

Lanterns light up the ancient town of Hội An during the first lunar month’s FullMoon Day festival. 

The city’s Culture and Sports centre said offerings were prepared at all facilities on Friday, and the old quarter was adorned with ancient lanterns.

Ancestor worship will take place at the communal houses of Cẩm Phô, Japanese Bridge, Sơn Phong temple, Ông Pagoda and Minh Hương commune house from early morning Sunday, while worship services will also take place at Fujian and Jiao Zhou clubs on the same day.

The festival is gradually becoming an annual rendezvous for the locals and tourists coming to see thousands of candlelit paper flowers light up the river in the Spring festival season.

Folkgames and Bài Chòi (a traditional Vietnamese game combining folk songs and picks from a deck of cards) will take place at the Cẩm Phô commune house and Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai Street from 8am to 9.30pm on Sunday.

A Bài Chòi contest for kids and a photo exhibition, entitled ‘A corner of Hội An’ will be set up at the Hoài River Square on February 12-15.

The festival is the most important spiritual event of the year. Locals use the time to wish for a peaceful year with offerings of vegetables, rice, salt, wine, aloeswood, votive ancestral tablets and paper. 

VNS