Published:  23:25 Wednesday - March 27, 2013

Thousands of visitors and pilgrims flocked to the opening ceremony of the 2013 Tay Thien festival in the northern province Vinh Phuc on March 26 (the fifteenth day of the second lunar month).

Thousands of visitors and pilgrims flocked to the opening ceremony of the 2013 Tay Thien festival in the northern province Vinh Phuc on March 26 (the fifteenth day of the second lunar month).

A variety of events were staged at the festival, including a palanquin procession, incense offerings at the Thong and Thuong temples, banh chung (square glutinous rice cake) and banh day (round glutinous rice cake) making contests, and performances of Cheo (traditional opera) and Chau Van (spiritual singing).

The festival is held annually to commemorate Mother Lang Thi Tieu, who made great contributions to national construction and defence as well as the country’s peace and prosperity during the era of the Hung Kings. It also aims to express the Vietnamese people’s gratitude to their ancestors, uphold traditional cultural and ethnicvalues, and inspire national pride among the younger generations.

Nhandan