01. Le Mat Village Festival

Time: The 23^rd day of the third lunar month.

Place: Le Mat Village, Viet Hung Ward, Long Bien District, Hanoi.

Objects of worship: The village's tutelary god of Hoang Family.

Characteristics: Snake dance.

Le Mat Village opens the festival to commemorate Hoang Duc Trung who had merit of taking poor people from Le Mat Village to the capital city to reclaim the wasteland to set up 13 barracks in the west of Thang Long Citadel (Ba Dinh District now). The festival involves water procession from the village well, carp catching, carps offering to god, feast (offerings) procession of 13 barracks in Ba Dinh District to the village then offer to god. Snake dance, processions of Ga ong (heavy cock), Lon ong (fat pig), contest of speciality cooking includes "Tam xa dai hoi" (3 kinds of snake: copperhead, krait, coluber), "Ngu ho chau lam" (5 frogs feast) and "Ly ngu vong nguyet" (big carps feast, feast of making of raw fish and vegetables).

02. Dong Nhan Temple Festival

Time: The 6^th day of the second lunar month.

Place: Dong Nhan Temple, Dong Nhan Ward, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi.

Objects of worship: Hai Ba Trung.

Characteristics: Sacrifices-offering ceremony of the court, dancing of worshipping lamp.

Dong Nhan Temple is located in Dong Nhan Precinct, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi. The festival of Dong Nhan Temple is held annually from the 3^rd to the 6^th day of the second lunar month.

The temple was established in honour of Hai Ba Trung (Two Trung Sisters) who were proclaimed the heroines of Vietnam as they greatly contributed to the defeat of the Dong Han invaders and to the glorious pages of the history of the country. The main festival occurs on the 5^th day when there is a ceremony for bathing the statues, opening the back palace, making sacrifices, and light dancing. A solemn procession of the statues from the temple to the Hong River is followed by many exciting activities at the completion of the bathing ceremony, including the altar-light dance. This dance is performed by 12 young beautiful girls in colourful dresses holding two lights in their hands. The festival is finished with an incense burning ceremonys

03. Dong Da Festival (Hanoi)

Time: The 5^th day of the first lunar month.

Place: Dong Da Mound, Dong Da District, Hanoi.

Objects of worship: King Quang Trung (Nguyen Hue).

Characteristics: "Thang Long Fire Dragon" dancing.

On the early morning of the 5^th day of Tet Ky Dau (in the first lunar month of 1789), King Quang Trung defeated the Qin troops at Dong Da Hill, which became a glorious historical site of Vietnamese nation. Ever since, on the 5^th annual of the first lunar month, Hanoi people hold a festival to celebrate this historic victory.

Early in the morning, residents in beautiful traditional dress gather at Khuong Thuong Communal House, which is decorated with flags, to burn incense. A grand sacrifices - offering ceremony is conducted after daybreak.

Until 12 o’clock, a god procession of celebration commences from Khuong Thuong to Dong Da Hill. The procession includes flags, parasols, palanquins with a variety of colours, and the sounds of gongs and drums.  Its most special part is the fire dragon which is decorated with straw, cataphyll, and coarse paper. The “Thang Long Fire Dragon” has become a symbol of victory of the nation.

The whole procession walks and sometimes dances in the rhythm of castanets. A group of young people, dressed in martial suit, then goes around and performs a piece that recounts the whole period of the war.

When the procession comes to Dong Da Hill, there is an incense - offering ceremony after which someone reads the story of the Ky Dau victory that praises the military genius of the national hero, Quang Trung. There are also various games to play and competitions that challenge the skills and intelligence of participants on the wide field in front of hill.

04. Co Loa Festival

Time: From the 6^th to the 16^th day of the first lunar month, the main festival day is on the 6^th day of the first lunar month.

Place: Co Loa Commune, Dong Anh District, Hanoi.

Objects of worship: King An Duong Vuong.

Characteristics: The procession of 12 hamlets and 7 villages, the procession of “alive” king in Nhoi Village.

On the afternoon of the 5^th day of the first lunar month, all of the eight communes (including Co Loa Commune and the establishing relations between seven communes) hold the incense offering ceremony at the communal house. At Thuong Temple, village officials and mandarins hold the similar ceremony and revise the king’s contributions and achievements.

The official festival day, which is on the 6^th of the first lunar month, starts with processions and grand sacrifices- offering ceremony. In early morning, a solemn and splendid procession takes orations from the oration writer’s house to the temple. The chief officiant at Thuong Temple has to come up and receive the orations and puts them on the altar. Next to the door of the temple is a pair of life-size pink and white wooden horses. Their harnesses are decorated with phoenix motifs and beautiful gold thread embroideries. The path to the temple is lined with decorative weapons and eight precious votive objects. At that time, the palanquins of the establishing relations between seven communes arrive at Thuong Temple and are put on the yard. The worshipping rituals begin. Votive offerings include incense, flowers, truncated cone-shaped cakes made of sticky rice, fruits, steamed sticky rice, meat, giay cakes and popcorn. According to folk knowledge, the last two things were used by King An Duong Vuong to treat his troops. The rituals last until 12 o’clock. Meanwhile, in the temple, some senior people representing their communes pray to the king for peace and prosperity to their villagers.

Next is the procession to take the god from the temple to the communal house so that he can watch the festivities. This is the biggest procession with the participation of all the palanquins. When reaching the main entrance called Nghi Môn, the palanquins return to their villages. Co Loa’s procession and palanquin do the same rituals once more at the communal house. This is the end of the official festival day. From then to the end of the whole festival, there are only duty ceremonies and votive offerings of residential groups, family lines and visitors.

An Duong Vuong Temple Festival has a special procession for the fake king of Nhoi village. On Mount Sai in Nhoi Village is a temple dedicated to Saint Tran Vu, who, according to legends, helps the king drive away evil spirits and build Co Loa Citadel. Every year, on the 12^th day of the first lunar month, the king would go there together with his mandarins to do worshipping rituals. But because such travelling was quite complicated, King An Duong Vuong asked a local man to impersonate him and held a similar ritual. Later generations put on stage that story. Though this custom is specific for Nhoi Village, it helps to diversify activities of the Co Loa Festival.

The Co Loa Festival has many other fun activities such as human chess, wrestling, cock fighting, swings, rope climbing, card playing, and cheo and tuong singing.

On the final day of the festival, a grand farewell ceremony will be held at the temple. The rituals are the same as in the main festival day. After the rituals, the cult table of god will be returned to the sanctuary. Local people enjoy the god’s favour and expect a year of prosperity and protection from the god.

05. Dong Festival

Time: From the 6^th to the 12^th day of the fourth lunar month. Main festival day is on the 9^th day of the fourth lunar month.Place: Phu Dong Commune, Gia Lam District, Hanoi.
Objects of worship: Saint Dong (Phu Dong Thien Vuong).

On the 6^th day: At 3 p.m, the water procession begins in which take part all the commanders, the troops, the group of singers and dancers from Hoi Xa Village (Ai Lao Guild), as well as a large group of villagers. The procession draw water-termed “sacred water”- from the well at Mau Temple, dedicated to Dong’s mother, and carry water contained in two big jars to Thuong Temple, dedicated to Dong. The villagers take water in order to wash and clean the weapons of Dong’s troops, and pray for good weather and a bumper crop.

On the 7^th day: At 11 a.m, trays of steamed rice and salted eggplant, the food that Dong ate before he left his village for the front, are brought in a procession from Mau Temple to Thuong Temple.

On the 8^th day: The head of the giap (a village of organization gathering its male members according to their ages) and the notables from the four villages hold an review of troops representing Dong’s army

On the 9^th day: The main festival day is marked in the morning by a procession carrying the flag from Mau Temple to Thuong Temple. Its rites are similar to those of the water procession. When the procession arrives at the temple, it is greeted with a ritual while the “troops” perform a ceremony and military display in honor of Saint Dong. In the end, they stand in rows before the altar of the Saint and pay their respects to him.

At 10 a.m, it comes the “catching tiger” game played by the group of dancers. At the same time, at the “enemy camp” near a lotus pond in Dong Vien Village, 28 female fighters of the Yin army sitting on their palanquins, surrounded by spectators, are ready for the battle.

At 1 p.m, reconnaissance groups report that the enemy troops have occupied the areas of Dong Dam and Dong Vien. The news is greeted by three salvos of drumbeats which signal the decisive hour comes. While the troops line up in rows waiting for the battle order, the group of singers and dancers perform a song praising Dong as the general sent by God to help the people repel the aggressors. As the song ends, the commanders prostrate themselves before the altar, receiving the order from their commander-in-chief and vow to fight to the end. The soldiers shout in chorus: “Yes, we obey the orders” and then start moving.

While marching and pulling horses vigorously, the soldiers shout in unison at the command of an officer standing behind the house. The troops stop at Mau Temple where they bow in respect to the mother of Saint Dong.

As the troops arrive at Dong Dam, they put white wooden horse on the dyke. The commanders come and stand at assigned places around the three mats, which are supposed to be the battlefield.

At 2 p.m, after the troops have been arranged (It means that they have been arrayed in battle position), three salvos of drumbeats resound, followed by deep silence. Then the commander gives the attack signal. The advance guards also beat their drums, signalling that they are ready for battle.

The process of the fight against the Yin enemy is symbolized by a number of rituals performed on the three mats by the flag commander. His movements describe the strength of Dong who can displace mountains and clouds. The last rite ends on the third mat, meaning that the battle has been won. The victory is greeted with drum and gong beats.

The troops, in full order, return to Thuong Temple. They stop for a few minutes at Mau Temple to report the news of victory to the hero’s mother. Then they enjoy a feast.

The Yin army counter-attacks again. Three new rolls of drum and gong resound. All the commanders and soldiers leave their tables, seize their arms and set out for the front, that is the Soi Bia area lying between Thuong Temple and Mau Temple which is occupied by the invaders.

The flag commander performs the three rituals again, with a slight difference. The end of the third ritual is greeted by three resounding rolls of drum and gong beats which signal complete victory over the aggressors. Enemy commanders are taken to Thuong Temple and are made to kow-tow four times before the altar of Saint Dong. Then an “officer” uses a trophy sword to push away the hat and tear open the dress of enemy prisoner. These gestures symbolize the beheading and skinning enemy troops. He also assembles all the trophies for the purpose of reporting the feat of arms to Saint Dong in the back chamber of the temple.

Thereafter, the feast continues with added zest till the evening and is followed by music and traditional games until midnight.

Subsequent days

On the 10^th day: A ceremony is held to review the troops, to check up the weapons, and to offer thanks to Saint Dong.

On the 11^th day: Water is brought in a procession to Thuong Temple to clean the cult implements, weapons. Games are played together with song and dance performances.

On the 12^th day: A flag planting procession in which our “troops” search the Dong Dam and Soi Bia to find whether there are any remnant “enemy” troops. After checking, flags are planted to show that enemy troops have been driven out and peace has been restored.

In the evening, a victory ceremony is held in which the news of victory is reported to the heavens. The ceremony also marks the end of the festival