Songs of love: Quan ho (love duet) singers perform on Lim Hill at the annual Lim Festival. The art of quan ho has been recognised as an "intangible cultural heritage" by UNESCO.

A procession was organised to honour General Nguyen Dinh Dien, who initiated the singing festival at the end of 18th century, from the local Dinh Ca Communal House to Lim Hill at 8am to mark the beginning of the three-day festival.

"Around 5,000 people divided into two procession teams," said an organising member, "A procession takes the general's votive tablet from Dinh Ca Communal House in Noi Due Commune to his mausoleum while the other procession went from Lim district centre to Lung Giang Communal House."

The procession, which is considered to be a core of the festival, was held one hour later than usual as in previous years many people had missed out on the event.

According to Nguyen Huu Manh, deputy chairman of Tien Du District's People's Committee and head of the organising board, this year's festival would host more singing activities at homes of local quan ho singers.

As many as eight local families would host such singing events.

"Tourists will be able to visit the performers' families to see the singing together with music teachers and experts with a deep understanding of the folk songs, in order to introduce the art to tourists," he said.

In the meantime, love duet singing is still organised as usual on the hills, on boats and make-shift houses throughout the Lim Hill site.

Folk games like bamboo swinging, wrestling, cock fighting, hide and seek, and cloth weaving competitions are held, together with local sports activities like football and badminton competitions, which has been running since Tuesday.

The activities will end tomorrow, 28 February, 2010. The organising member predicted tens of thousands of tourists would attend the festival.

The Lim festival is held annually on the 13th of the first lunar month. Quan ho (love duet singing) is a form of folk singing unique to the Kinh Bac region, now present day Bac Ninh Province.

Originally, the songs are performed as alternating verses between two women from one village who sing in harmony and two men from another village who respond with similar melodies, but with different lyrics.

The festival takes place on Lim Hill, where the Lim Pagoda is located. The pagoda is where Hieu Trung Hau, the man who invented quan ho, is worshipped.

The art of quan ho was inscribed in the UNESCO's representative list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity in September, 2009.

The art is also performed in various festivals in the province like the O Village festival (in the 4th and 5th of the first lunar month) at Xuan O Village; Nhoi Village Festival (7th of the first lunar month); Diem Village Festival (5th to 7th of the first lunar month) in Yen Phong District and Dinh Bang Village Festival (12th to 16th of the second lunar month) in Tu Son District.