Numerous visitors and pilgrims flocked to the opening ceremony of the 2018 Tay Thien Festival, one of the largest festivals in the northern region, on March 31 (the fifteenth day of the second lunar month) in Dai Dinh Commune, Tam Dao District, Vinh Phuc Province.
Visitors flocks to Tay Thien festival
The annual event is held to worship Mother Lang Thi Tieu, a Hung Queen, who helped the king to defeat invaders and taught the people how to grow rice and make handicrafts.
At the festival, visitors can witness the beauty of the Tay Thien complex and feel the tranquility, poetry and holiness in the air in backdrop of the imposing landscape of the Tam Dao mountain range-mantled by clouds, wind and fog, and blanketed in colourful and fragrant flowers.
Tay Thien is considered as the birthplace of Vietnamese Buddhism. A Buddhist monk from India visited the spot in the 3rd century BCE and chose the mountain as the spot from which to spread the religion.
The site was recognised as a historical national relic site in 1991 and a special national relic site in 2015. There are numerous temples on the site, including Thuong temple, Tam Toa Thanh Mau temple, Co Chin temple and Thong temple.
During the three-day event, a wide variety of cultural, artistic and sporting activities and festivals will also be held to serve visitors.
The festival has significantly contributed to the development of the tourism sector in Vinh Phuc province, particularly Tam Dao District. It also aims to teach traditional cultural and ethical values to younger generations.