Danang Festivals and Events

Danang people as well as tourists to Danang City - a beautiful city by the Han river are very keen on participating in the city traditional festivals. It is an opportunity for everybody to come to dedicate their prayers for good weather to facilitate the argricultural seasons and to be more loser, for the ancestors' support and to pray for for good luck to their close relatives and friends.

Danang festivals have a lot in common with those of the coastal areas in Central Vietnam but bear lots of specific features and distinctive beauty of the region. In the festive days, with the whole colorful area and thrilling songs of praying peace, ardent rhythm of "bai choi". The festivals in Danang City were originated long time ago,passed from generations to generations such as Cau Ngu festival, Avalokitecvara festival, Hoa My village festival, An Hai village festival etc. Time went by, many festivals were not generated such as "Pastor festival" - a very special one for pastors only, naughty children with muddy legs and bareheaded.

Not only preserving the traditional festivals, Danang people make a new festival by themselves depending on the traditional features of boat race. It is annually held on the September 2nd National Day in the Han river with tens of racing teams of localities inside and outside the city. This is really the homeland festive day and of man's heart.

Quan The Am-Ngu Hanh Son Festival, the annual festival of Quan The Am pagoda on the Kim Son-Ngu Hanh Son mountain in the central city of Da Nang, opened on March 13.

The first Quan The Am festival was held in 1960 on the 19th day of the second lunar month to inaugurated the Quan The Am (the Goddess of Mercy) statue in Hoa Nghiem cave on Thuy Son mountain and became an annual event from 1991.

This year’s three-day festival is held monumentally with the display of the world’s largest jade statue of the Buddha.

The statue, named “The Jade Buddha for Universal Peace,” measures 3.5 metres tall, including the lotus base and fan throne, and weighs 4.5 tonnes. The statue is modelled on the Siddhartha Gautama Buddha inside the Mahabodhi Stupa in India’s Bodh Gaya.

It is carved from an 18-tonne Nephrite jade boulder called “Polar Pride” found in Canada in 2000 and considered the world’s largest piece of pure jade. The rock was transported in late 2006 from Vancouver in Canada to Bangkok, Thailand, where Thai sculptors finished the statue a full two years later.

The statue has been displayed at the pagoda from March 13-15, the first destination of its world tour before being placed permanently at the Mahabodhi Stupa of the Atisha Centre in Australia.

On display at the festival also included a 2.4m x 6.1m painting made of waste cans, which depicts the overview of Da Nang city.

On this occasion, the festival’s organising board will hold auction sale of best calligraphy works to raise fund for Agent Orange victims.

An Hai village festival

An Hai which used to be a part of An Phuc, Dien Phuoc, Quang Nam Da Nang city now belongs to An Hai Tay, Son Tra district, Danang city. The west area of Danang city was chosen by Nguyen Dynasty to build the bulwark called An Hai. Together with Dien Hai bulwark in the west, it protected Danang harbor. After many attacks of the French and Spanish allied troops in the early morning of the 1st September 1958 into Danang city, Dien Hai and An Hai bulwark was terribly damaged. Although here is no remain of An Hai bulwark, the history of the magnanimous resistance is still in the heart of Danang citizens. In 2000, An Hai village festival is held again to remind people of the magnanimous past.

An Hai village festival is celebrated on the “thu te” day, on the 10th August (lunar Calendar). After the opening ceremony, people rush to the riverbank to watch "lac thung", a traditional sport game of the people in the coastal areas. In the village common, the participants try their best to be the winner of the chest tournament. All the teams joining "keo co" game are ready. Beside the traditional games, there are many modern sport games such as athletics, badminton etc. In the afternoon, people enjoy lion dance. When the night falls, after the traditional performance, people gather around the stage in front of the communal house to watch "tuong" (traditional opera). In the main ceremony of the next morning, the representatives of the families revise all the good traditions of the village before the traditional offering ceremony.

An Hai village festival reminds people of the magnanimous past. The village has survived for many years and become the pride of not only Danang citizens but also the Vietnamese.

Hoa My village festival

Hoa My which appeared on the map of our country in 1825 (the fifth Minh Mang) now belongs to Hoa My, Hoa Minh ward, Lien Chieu District, Danang city. The festival is held every year on the 12th January (lunar calendar) to remind the young people of the tradition "uong nuoc nho nguon" and to draw out what they have done successfully and what they should do in the next year. Because of the war, the festival was not held for along time. Since 1994, the festival has been held.

Hoa My village festival lasts for 1 day and a half. The ceremony which is held according to the traditional form consists of "le vong" and "le hoi ky". PHAN HOI including traditional and modern games has formed the typical features of the festival. At the beginning of the festival is the traditional racing which attracts the participation of many farmers, the youth. While the young people take part in flower-arranging, bake making competition, the old ones perform some physical exercises, and sing “bai choi”.

There are many spectators around the traditional games like "keo co", "dap om"...because of their summer atmosphere. The entire ward group, the families and the organizations can sit together in the culture exchange meeting to discuss the experiences of the simple life to help each other live better. The adaptation of "tuong" together with musical performance is combination of traditional and modern features.

The village festival held in Hoa My is the typical feature of the spiritual life of Danang citizens.