Photos a unique documentary of Giong festival

Traditional celebration: This photo of a flag dance on Gia Ngu Hill at a Giong Festival held in Phu Dong Village in 1970 was the first image of the festival taken by photographer Van Tho.

HA NOI — A unique exhibition displaying veteran photographer Van Tho's collection of 100 photos of the Giong Festival has opened at the Phu Dong Temple, in Gia Lam District on the outskirts of Ha Noi.

The photos document the dances and worshipping ceremonies as well as the domestic and foreign officials that attend the festival and even the festival preparations.

All of the photos are in colour except for the artist's first image taken in 1970.

"I cannot count the number of photographs I've taken of the annual festival," Tho said since 1970, "I have selected the 100 best as my gift to celebrate the recognition of the festival as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO."

The artist was born in 1943 in Phu Dong Village himself. At the age of seven, he played a soldier in Saint Giong's 90-soldier team in the festival. He recalled falling into the pond in front of the temple and racing home to dry his clothes so that he could finish his role in the event.

"Taking part in the festival is a great honour," he said, "That's why the villagers have happily made contributions."

After the exhibition, Tho plans to build a house in which to store his works and memories of the festival.

"If the project is approved [by local authorities], I will select quintessential photos of the festival by many photographers for display," Tho said.

"The exhibits may also include small models of objects used at the festival so that visitors to the temple can learn how the festival is organised, what it symbolises and what activities take place. They can also practise the traditional dances if they want."

A ceremony was held at the temple on Saturday by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ha Noi Municipal People's Committee and the Viet Nam National Commission for UNESCO to bestow the UNESCO Certification recognising the Saint Giong Festival as a world intangible heritage.

The festival was the third element of Ha Noi's heritage recognised by UNESCO in last year, joining the 82 doctoral stone steles in the Temple of Literature and relics of the Thang Long Royal Citadel.

The festival is dedicated to Saint Giong, born in Phu Dong Village in the reign of King Hung VI. According to legend, he was a man of great strength who fought the northern invaders. After his victory, he flew back to heaven on his iron horse over Soc Mountain, which locates in today's Soc Son District.

There are many festivals held in the northern region to honour Saint Giong. The most popular are the ones in Phu Dong Village in Gia Lam District and Soc Village in Soc Son District.

The event in Phu Dong is annually held on the ninth day of the fourth lunar month and in Soc Son, on the sixth day of the first lunar month. — VNS

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Ha Noi celebrates heritage listing

The Saint Giong Festival was one of three examples of Ha Noi's cutural heritage to be recognised by UNESCO during the past year. — VNA/VNS Photo

HA NOI — A ceremony has been held by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ha Noi Municipal People's Committee and the Viet Nam National Commission for UNESCO to bestow UNESCO Certification recognising the Saint Giong Festival as a World Intangible Heritage.

The festival was the third element of Ha Noi's heritage recognised by UNESCO in 2010, joining the 82 doctoral steles in the Temple of Literature, and the Thang Long Royal Citadel.

"Ha Noi is proud to receive UNESCO certification. This recognises the efforts of past generations who handed down their heritage to the people of Ha Noi," said Ngo Thi Thanh Hang, deputy chairwoman of the Ha Noi municipal People's Committee on Saturday.

"The Giong Festival had all the necessary elements to be recognised as humanity's intangible cultural heritage, especially the element of community participation in preserving and promoting the value of the festival," said Katherine Muller‑Marin, head of the UNESCO office in Ha Noi.

She also emphasised that the festival had been deeply impressed by the inherited traditions of those residents living along the Red River.

During the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Le Tien Tho, announced a national plan of action to preserve and promote the nation's cultural values during 2011-15.

The ceremony also included a traditional art performance by local people. — VNA/VNS

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Vietnam Festival obtains UNESCO certificate today

The ceremony of Saint Giong Festival is held in the first lunar month in 2010 at Soc Temple in Soc Son District in honor of the mythical hero Giong who ascended to heaven from there

Hanoi is holding a reception ceremony today for UNESCO certificate recognizing the Saint Giong Festival as humankind’s intangible cultural heritage, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.

Giong Festival, which is located at Soc Temple in Soc Son District, is the Hanoi’s third such heritage honored by the UN agency in 2010, after the 82 stone steles at the Temple of Literature (commemorating doctorates handed out to doctor laureats during the feudal era) and the Thang Long-Hanoi Citadel.

The Saint Giong Festival is held annually in the first lunar month at Soc Temple in Soc Son District in honor of the mythical hero Giong who ascended to heaven from there.

At the age of three, Saint Giong could not talk or walk but miraculously grew into a giant after hearing the King’s appeal to gifted individuals to enter public service and save the country and people from foreign invaders from the north.

After defeating the invading army, the hero went to the top of Soc Mountain and from there to heaven. He has been revered as the most powerful god in local folk belief for thousands of years and is considered the tutelary god for harvest, peace, and prosperity.

The organizers will also officially launch a national action program on protecting and promoting the festival’s values from 2011 to 2015 at the ceremony.

Rituals of Hoi Giong ceremony include:

 

Ceremony usually begins with a young boy waving the head flag to signal the start at the front yard of the Hanoi-based Soc Temple

Following the appeal, the elderly and the dignitaries are escorted to join a parade under parasols to the temple to attend the ceremony

Paper-made statue of elephant is also carried to the temple

The crowd and dignitaries are taken to the Soc Temple where performance shows are going on to welcome their arrival

Dignitaries stand in front of the queue to hold the ceremony and offer gifts to Saint Giong

At the end of the ceremony, people burn a paper-made horse as offering to Saint Giong

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UNESCO recognition of Giong festival celebrated

HA NOI — Festivities celebrating UNESCO's recognition of Giong festival are expected to attract up to 8,000 revellers today in Soc Son District, on the northern outskirts of Ha Noi.

At the event, UNESCO Viet Nam representative Katherine Morin Muller will present the certificate recognising the Giong festival as Intangible Heritage of Humanity to the authorities of Gia Lam and Soc Son villages.

Up to 700 locals from Soc Son District and Phu Dong village will also recreate some of the most impressive elements of the celebrated festival in front of the Giong Temple in Ha Noi's Gia Lam District, where the historic Gia Ngu stone platform resides.

Young artists to compete at international festival

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Paradise Park to serve up Tet entertainment

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VTV begins series on Khmer culture, lifestyle

HCMCITY — Viet Nam Television has begun to show a series on the culture and lifestyle of the Khmer people living in Viet Nam's south-western region on its VTV1 channel.

The 30-episode series, titled Hay Cung Em Dieu Sarikakeo (Join me in the Sarikakeo Dance), is about the life and love of Sophia, a former Khmer Sarikakeo dancer who lived in a small village in Soc Trang Province in the early 1980s.

The film recounts Sophia's life as a dancer before she moved to An Giang Province and learned weaving.

"We wanted to spotlight the Khmer people and their culture, lifestyle, and dance," said Hue.

There are nearly 1.3 million Khmers in the Delta, living mostly in Soc Trang and Tra Vinh. — VNS

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