With just a week to go before the Binh Dinh festival kicks off on August 1, the hometown of the legendary Emperor Quang Trung is agog.
The festival’s major events are scheduled at three destinations – the province’s capital of Quy nhon and Tay Son and Hoai Nhon districts.
A dazzling opening ceremony with grandiose performances of drums and martial arts will set off an elaborate series of events.
Five sets of large drums and 100 small battle drums are expected to transport beholders back to the successful Tay Son farmers’ uprising against Chinese Qing occupiers over two centuries ago.
A group of nearly 650 performers will reprise the role of the heroic farmers with a splendid dance that will evoke the historic revolution.
The opening ceremony is estimated to feature around 1,000 performers and will be broadcast live on Viet nam Television’s VTV1.
A four-part offering devoted to Quang Trung will be one emperor the main attractions in the next few days. It will retrace the events that saw a local farmer Nguyen Hue – as the king was known in his earlier life – ascend to the throne to become one of the most celebrated kings in Viet Nam’s 4,000-year-old history.
Professional performers from art troupes around the country will be joined by 1,000 others, mostly local students, five elephants, and 20 horses for the event.
After sacred offerings, folk games and traditional music performances will be held at Quang Trung Museum.
When night falls on the festival’s second day, a spectacular performance using lanterns at the Thi Nai Marshland will feature 21 lotus-shaped boats symbolising 21 years of doi moi (renewal process).
Martial arts
Binh Dinh is the birthplace of many of the country’s most famous traditional martial arts. Appropriately, the festival will warmly welcome over 1,000 martial artists from 40 countries and 500 Vietnamese coaches and fighters for an international competition of Traditional Vietnamese Martial Arts that starts on July 31.
Women martial artists aged between 18 and 28 and with hopes of becoming a beauty queen may get their wish fulfilled at the Miss Martial Arts pageant that will be held during the festival.
This beauty contest is meant to highlight Binh Dinh’s unique martial traditions and hopefully trigger a martial arts movement among women nationwide.
The three-day contest will consist of three events: parades in traditional costumes and martial arts costumes and a martial arts display.
A jury of eminent people will select the 10 most beautiful and talented contestants. Another jury consisting of journalists and sponsors will bestow titles such as Miss Kind-hearted, Miss Talent, and Miss Tourism.
Besides being the cradle of martial arts, this south-central province is also the hometown of Dao Tan, the famous tuong (classical drama) scriptwriter who helped bring back the art into vogue in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Just before the festival begins but a part of it Viet Nam’s six biggest tuong theatres will gather at the home of the art for the National Tuong Festival which lasts until July 30.
A poetry night will remember Xuan Dieu and Han Mac Tu, two poets from the past who eulogised both the province and country.
Celebrated poets like Nguyen Khoa Diem and Tran Dang Khoa and the literature scholar Chu Van Son will attend the poetry night.
Besides reading, fans can also hear the poems of Xuan Dieu and Han Mac Tu performed by famous singers like Quang Dung and Phan Muon.
Last but not least, gourmets will have the opportunity to taste the province’s specialities at a food and drink festival to be held in Quy Nhon’s central park from July 27 to August 3.
The festival’s goal, according to organisers, will be to put the coastal province on the country’s tourism map.
(Source: VNS)
Tag: Festival , Hue , International , Quy Nhon , Tour , Tourism , Viet Nam , Vietnam , Vietnamese , Vietnamese Martial Arts , Women Binh Dinh all set for mega festival
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