Tho Ha festival
VGP – The Tho Ha Village is situated near the Cau River in Bac Giang Province, about 50km from Ha Noi. The village is famous nationwide for its festival with many distinctive cultural features.
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The procession is led by unicorn dance troupes, a musical band and three elders cast as the "Three Abundances" Happiness, Wealth and Longevity |
Tho Ha was known as the land of the traditional craft of making Gom sanh (pottery without glaze). Today, ancient pottery vestiges can be found in many houses, walls and roads in the village. Once every two years on January 20-22 of the lunar calendar the villagers jubilantly hod a festival to commemorate Dao Tri Tien, the village’s pottery craft founder and patron saint.
The highlight of the festival is a palanquin procession that carries the patron saint to the village’s communal house. The procession is led by unicorn dance troupes and a musical band playing the clarinet, two-string violin, drums and cymbals, followed by three elders being cast as the Three Abundances of Happiness, Wealth and Longevity.
The festival also includes a performance of Tuong which has been preserved for over 100 years. Nguyen Ha, a member of the village’s Tuong troupe, said “Tuong seems to permeate into the blood of Tho Ha villagers so we, even children, also learn by heart many ancient Tuong songs. Although our troupe only performs in the village, our costumes and performing style are very professional”. Besides the Tuong performance, the festival also fascinates visitors by by the performance of the children’s drum beat teams. To prepare for the festival, the village establishes four drum beat teams with little members who practice together and then show their best performances, bringing the festival a jubilant atmosphere.
Coming to the village during the festival, tourists not only have a chance to enjoy the jubilant festive atmosphere in the early spring but also are warmly received by all villagers. In their belief, the more visitors who come to their house the more good fortune they will have in the New Year./.
