On the evening of April 25, the opening ceremony of the 2023 Bach Dang Festival was held at the Bach Dang National Historic Site (Quang Yen town, Quang Ninh province). This annual traditional festival is recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage and attracts thousands of visitors.
This year marks the 735th anniversary of the Bach Dang Victory (1288-2023), and the Bach Dang Traditional Festival is organized on a provincial scale, lasting from April 25-28, at various locations including the Tran Hung Dao Temple, Vua Ba Temple, and Yen Giang Communal House, all located within the Bach Dang National Historic Site.
During the opening ceremony, after the offering of incense and the drum ceremony, the people and tourists can enjoy the art program of the epic “Bach Dang – The heroic epic of the nation” and release lanterns and flower boats at the old ferry dock.
In addition to the opening ceremony, Quang Yen town will also organize many activities throughout the 4-day festival, such as the procession of the Saint Tran statue following the traditional ceremony from the Tran Hung Dao Temple to the Yen Giang Communal House and back, the Yen Giang Communal House offering ceremony, and the main festival ceremony, along with many folk games and other exciting cultural and sports activities.
According to Mr. Tran Duc Thang, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Quang Yen town, the Bach Dang Festival is one of the three major festivals in the town, aimed at commemorating the contributions of the Dai Viet army and people in the three victories against foreign invaders at the Bach Dang river mouth.
“The Bach Dang River has become a legendary river, and the Bach Dang stake has become a symbol of the Vietnamese people’s fight against foreign invaders. Here, our people have written three heroic chapters in the nation-building and national defense history,” shared the representative of Quang Yen town.
Specifically, the Bach Dang River has marked three heroic naval battles of the Dai Viet people against the Southern Han army in 938 under the leadership of Ngo Quyen, against the Song army in 981 of Le Dai Hanh, and against the Yuan Mongol army in 1288 under the command of Tran Hung Dao.
Recognizing the values and importance of the historical relic of the Bach Dang Victory, in recent years, the preservation and promotion of the relic complex have been consistently attended by the government, Quang Ninh province, and Quang Yen town.
According to Quang Yen town, in phase 2, Quang Ninh province has allocated funds and ensured a budget of nearly 800 billion dong to complete the remaining items of the project, to promote the value of the Bach Dang Historical Site.
In addition, in the coming time, Quang Yen town will further strengthen the propaganda, promotion, and introduction of the special values of the Bach Dang Victory Historical Site to attract tourists to visit and admire.
@Zing News
Source: Vietnam Insider