Time: The 13th day of the first lunar month.
Place: Lim Hill, LimTown, Tien Du District, BacNinhProvince.
Objects of worship: Lady King and Hieu Trung Hau, the two legendary patriarchs of quan ho tunes.
Characteristics: Quan ho singing on the hills, boats or at home. Quan Ho" is a special folk song of KinhBacProvince, now called BacNinhProvince. The festival takes place on Lim Hill where the Lim Pagoda is located. This pagoda is where Mr. Hieu Trung Hau, the man who invented Quan Ho, is worshipped. The Lim Festival takes place every year on 13th day of the first lunar month. Visitors come to enjoy the festival and see the performances of "lien anh" and "lien chi". These are male and female farmers who sing different types of songs in the pagodas, on the hills, and in the boats. Besides this, visitors can come to the Lim Festival to enjoy the weaving competition of the Noi Due girls. They weave and sing Quan Ho songs at the same time. Like other religious festivals, the Lim Festival goes through all the ritual stages, from the procession to the worshipping ceremony, and includes other activities. The Lim Festival is a special cultural activity in the North. The festival celebrates the "Quan Ho" folk song which has become a part of the national culture and a typical folk song that is well loved in the Red River Delta region. |