The 2015 Yen Tu Spring Festival officially opened today (the tenth day of the first lunar month) in Uong Bi City’s Thuong Yen Cong Commune, northern Quang Ninh Province, entertaining tourists and pilgrims with a wide range of fascinating services and activities.
A ritual in the opening ceremony of the 2015 Yen Tu Spring Festival
Among the highlights of this year’s event is the hot-air balloon programme themed ‘Flying back to the Buddhist land’. Tourists will have a chance to experience fabulous sightseeing rides on three balloons, with each capable of carrying 3-4 adults and 5-6 children (equivalent to about 500kg). Participants will be given safety instruction and will receive balloon-flying certificates after completing their journeys amongst the clouds.
The 2015 Yen Tu festival also includes the hoisting of a Buddhist flag weighing 60kg and measuring 20m wide and 25.58m long (symbolising the Buddhist calendar 2558). The flag, which is the country’s largest Buddhist flag, is fixed at an altitude of 200-250m and will fly for ten days, aiming to create an impressive sight – a lively grand spiritual image – to welcome pilgrims to the Buddhist land.
The Yen Tu spring flower festival also opened the same day with an array of different types of flowers on display at 18 pavilions. Bonsai trees and ornamental plants are also being showcased, joining spiritual rituals and folk games to add a unique atmosphere to the 2015 Yen Tu festival.
The two-month event also features many new aspects in festival organisation and management work. Sites for commodity sales stretching from Giai Oan pagoda to Dong pagoda have been rearranged to ensure the relic’s landscapes remain unharmed. Other issues including food and environmental hygiene and safety, security and order and rescue have also been prepared sufficiently.