The Con Son-Kiep Bac Spring Festival 2016 opened at a ceremony held in the Con Son relic site, Chi Linh Town, Hai Duong Province on February 23.
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Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan offered incense at the relic site |
At the opening ceremony, Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan presented the Prime Minister’s decision on recognising the Thanh Hu Cave Stele as a national treasure, dating back to the Tran Dynasty in the 14th century, to the province’s representative. The stele was engraved with three Nom scripts (Chinese transcribed Vietnamese) by King Tran Due Tong, with Thanh Hu Cave on one side, and a Nom article by the King’s father Nghe Tong engraved on the other side, featuring the cave where the King spent his holidays.
Earlier, a water procession took place to show communal strength and wish for water for cultivation and bumper harvests.
The festival will run until March 1 with numerous traditional cultural and artistic activities and folk games.
The Con Son-Kiep Bac relic site, an ancient Buddhist centre in the north, was recognised as a national relic site in 1962 and a special national relic site in 2012. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism officially addressed the festival as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2013. The stele was recognised as a national treasure last year.