VietNamNet Bridge – It was a blessing that a stampede did not occur at the recent Tran Temple Festival in Nam Dinh province, said Vu Xuan Thanh, chief inspector of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MoCST).

Nine Vietnamese died in Cambodia’s stampede

The MoCST set up five missions to inspect early-year festivals. What do you think about the organization of festivals this year?

The festivals of Bai Dinh Pagoda (Ninh Binh), Huong Pagoda (Hanoi), Hung Kings Temple (Phu Tho), Yen Tu (Quang Ninh) have become traditional events for centuries. If the authorities don’t organize the festivals, the people will organize them by themselves. Therefore, it is important to tighten management over these events.

Furthermore, Huong Pagoda, Yen Tu and Ha Long are national landscapes and we need to advertise them to attract tourists. In a recent meeting with the MoCST, Ninh Binh officials said that a large number of foreign tourists visited the Bai Dinh Pagoda. Tourism must be based on culture so we must hold festivals.

This year local governments have organized festivals much better than last year but there are some matters that still need to be addressed, such as raising prices, scattering small change at pagodas, organizing games at festivals, burning votive papers, etc.

Tens of thousands of people elbowing each other  to take the seals at the Tran Temple Festival resulted in many people fainting. Why?

I think that the organizing board did a good job of controlling traffic, arranging nearly 1400 soldiers and policemen to ensure security at the festival, etc. However, more than 60,000 people participated in the festival. It was a blessing to that a stampede did not occur like the one in Cambodia last year.

Some cultural researchers protested the issuance of seals at the Tran Temple Festival. What is the MoCST’s viewpoint?

There is a difference of opinions between opening and issuing seals at the festival. Many researchers protested the issuance of seals but the local authorities argued that if the seal is opened, issuing seals is necessary. The MoCST’s viewpoint is to refrain from issuing seals but it is still a problem because according to history, during the Tran Dynasty seals were opened in the early year and issued to the people.

I think that we need to hold a workshop on this.

At the Ba Chua Kho (Goddess of Stock) Temple Festival, a huge volume of votive paper is burned even though burning votive paper is banned at festivals. What is your opinion on this?

Burning votive paper is restricted. We recently seized a batch of votive paper at Kiep Bac Temple (Hai Duong province), which included cars, houses, dummies, etc. Votive papers are mainly burned in large volumes at the Ba Chua Kho Temple and Phu Giay festivals.

Burning votive papers is banned at festivals. However, people can burn some items, but not dummies, houses, and even charwomen for the dead.

Some experts estimated that Vietnamese people burn votive papers worth millions of USD at festivals. What do you think about the figure?

Perhaps the real number is higher. The people’s awareness about this is limited, especially those in northern Vietnam. People in the central region don’t burn as many votive papers as those in the north.

What do you think about the behaviors of festival attendants?

They are divided into two groups of ages. Those who have deep knowledge of culture go to pagodas to pray for good luck for their families. As for the youth, many of them don’t even know the history of the festivals or pagodas they visit. For example, the seals at the Tran Temple used to be for officials, not for common people, but people still struggle to get the seals.

Not only traders but also state officers visit pagodas on working days. What do you think about this?

The Prime Minister bans state officers from going to festivals during working hours but large numbers of officers don’t obey. However, some pagodas want to attract state officers because they donate more money than others.

What do you feel when you attend festivals with your family?

People my age and older often feel sad when they go to festivals and they don’t want to attend because the nature of the festivals is not jostling, pushing, struggling.

The elderly are very sad because they can’t jostle against the young at festivals. Many people don’t want to go to the festivals.

According to a report by the MoCST for the Prime Minister, by February 11, Yen Tu Festival attracted 310,000 visitors, Huong Pagoda 230,000, Cua Ong Temple 130,000, Con Son Kiep Bac 140,000.

Stampede and faint at Tran Temple Festival

At 11 pm, February 16, while the elderly are performing rituals tens of thousands

of people jostle each other to get a seal, hoping to get a good promotion

in the new year.

Deputy PM burns incenses at the temple.

At midnight, while the seal procession rituals are performed inside the temple,

thousands of people stand outside the fence to wait for the seals.

Though guards try to keep order, many people try to climb the fence to get into the temple.

Some women faint.

They receive first aid from mobile health workers.

Guards have to take some women out of the crowd.

The seal issuing area is surrounded by tens of thousands of people.

They hold cash in their hands to wait for the moment when the seals are delivered.

To get a piece of silk with the seal, many people stand and sweat in the cold.

Over two hours after the seals are delivered, thousands of people still surround

boxes of seals to beg for a yellow piece of silk with the King’s seal.

This year the organizers set up 75 tables to deliver seals, instead of only 4 last year.

Though the seals are delivered free, people still pay VND20,000-50,000/seal.

Hundreds of people lost their footwear in the stampede.

Tran Temple worships Kings of the Tran Dynasty and their mandarins.

The Tran Temple Festival takes place in the first lunar month.

It opens by the seal opening ritual in the night of the 14^th.

It is believed that if one gets the seal, he/she will get promotion in his/her career.