Doi Son “Tich dien” (ploughing) Festival opens in Ninh Binh

Prominents at the opening ceremony were Dang Xuan Phong, member of Central Party committee, Secretary of provincial party committee, Head of provincial delegation of NA deputies; Dinh Thi Lua, Standing Vice Secretary of provincial party committee; Mai Van Tuat, Vice Secretary of provincial party committee, President of Vietnamese Fatherland front committee in Ninh Binh, among others.

The festival dates back to 987 during the Le dynasty when King Le Dai Hanh decided to plough in Doi Son commune, Duy Tien district to encourage rice cultivation in the locality and then became a tradition practiced every spring.

Over thousand years, the festival has been recognised as national intangible heritage that highlights the significance of agriculture, farmers in national development.

It is held annually to encourage agricultural labor and production and pray for national peace, favourable weather and good crops.

The opening ceremony features with various traditional rituals such as Doi Tam drum dancing, Dragon dancing… in a bid to reinact the festive atmosphere and pay tribute to ancestors as well as pray for favourable weather and good crops.

This is followed by a ceremony to pay respect to the God of Agriculture to pray for a high-yield season and prosperity.

Particularly, a respected elderly farmer representing the local people assumed the role of King Le Dai Hanh to perform praying to the ancestors and the god of farming. The elderly farmer, who was dressed in a nine-dragon hat and royal robe, then descended to the field to plough.

Then, provincial leaders directly went into the fields to plough in the field.

The Tich Dien festival has not only revitalized the image of a peaceful nation and bumper crop, but also aimed to honor the peasants and farm work, and encourage the building of advanced and model new rural areas.