At the exact moment of New Year’s Eve, hundreds of residents of Dang Chuong village in Van Thang commune, Ninh Binh province, gather to receive the “Sacred Fire” from their communal house and carry it home, praying for luck and peace in the year ahead.

The midnight fire procession is a long-standing cultural tradition of the village. As the sacred transition between the old and new year approaches, people from every lane eagerly converge at the communal house to take part in the solemn ritual.

According to local belief, the flame obtained from the communal house symbolizes a new beginning, bringing fortune, safety and prosperity to each household. For that reason, villagers wait in anticipation for the stroke of midnight to bring the sacred fire home.

Preparations begin several days in advance. Each family readies its own torch, typically made from sturdy bamboo or wood. Cloth is wrapped tightly around the tip, secured with wire and soaked in kerosene to ensure the flame burns steadily on the journey back.

Village elders explain that the household which brings the Sacred Fire home first will enjoy greater luck and smoothness throughout the year. As a result, strong young men are entrusted with the task, racing swiftly to deliver the holy flame back to their families.

At the communal house of Dang Chuong village, when midnight arrives and the ritual prayers conclude, the caretaker solemnly carries the sacred flame from the altar and lights a large oil basin placed in the courtyard.

As the fire flares up, young men holding long torches step forward to receive the flame.

The moment their torches catch fire, they raise them high before dispersing in different directions, running quickly through the night toward their homes.

Pham Trong Thuy, a resident of Dang Chuong village, said the fire procession ritual has existed for hundreds of years. Once home, families light incense on ancestral altars, kindle their first kitchen fire of the year and carry the torch around the house to ward off misfortune and welcome a peaceful, lucky new year.

Do Van Giap, head of the Culture and Social Affairs Division of Van Thang commune, said the midnight fire ritual reflects a long-standing local belief in auspicious beginnings.

Despite the changes brought by modern life, villagers continue to preserve the tradition as an indispensable part of New Year’s Eve, safeguarding a distinctive cultural heritage of their homeland.

Trong Tung