The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has announced a list of 11 newly-recognised national intangible cultural heritages.

Au Co Temple Festival

The heritages consist of traditional festival, social practices and beliefs, folk performing art and folk knowledge.

They include the worshipping festival dedicated to Au Co – the legendary mother of Vietnam (Phu Tho), the festival of Tich dien (ploughing), Tran temple, wrestling (Ha Nam), Bo Da pagoda festival (Bac Giang), Keo pagoda festival (Thai Binh), Duom temple festival (Thai Nguyen) and the festival of Ha, Thuong, Y La (Tuyen Quang).

The Au Co Temple Festival takes place for three days from the fifth to the seventh day of the first lunar month in the northern province of Phu Tho to pray for peace, good weather, prosperity and happiness.

The festival is opened with a ritual worshipping the guardian deity at the local communal house, followed by a palanquin procession of offerings from the house to the Au Co Temple. 

The temple was built under the reign of King Le Thanh Tong (15th century) and named a national historical and cultural relic site in 1991. 

Meanwhile, the Tich Dien (ploughing) festival is held on the seventh day of the first lunar month, which aims to pray the role of farmers.

The festival began in 987 during the Le Dynasty (1428-1788) when King Le Dai Hanh decided to plough in Doi Son commune, Duy Tien district to wish for bumper crops. 

The practice then became an annual tradition held through many dynasties before falling into oblivion under the reign of King Khai Dinh of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945). It was restored in 2009. 

The art of writing on Buong leaves of the Khmer ethnic people in An Giang, along with “Sac bua” (Tet greeting) singing in Ben Tre, and “Han Khuong” singing of the Thai ethnic group in Yen Bai also received recognition.

VNA