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During the first lunar month a host of festivals take place,
from the well-known Huong pagoda festival, to smaller,
local events that involve some truly obscure rituals.
During the Chuong market festival in
Thanh Hoa province it is believed the fiercer a
fight, the luckier the participants will be. The
fighting is seen as a way to express love.
This market opens on the morning of
the sixth day of the first lunar month, and at
beginning, it may appear to be little different
from any other. People buy and sell and eve-
ryone usually buys something to bring home
in the hope of improving luck. But at some
point a tomato fight will break out. And once
the tomatoes have run out, people will begin
fighting with bricks or rocks.
The losers usually choose to jump into
the nearby river to avoid being beaten any
more. Returning home, wounded and some-
times sodden, they are nonetheless all excited
and happy. Thankfully, there is an unwritten
rule among people that serious injury cannot
be inflicted.
Dong Tinh commune in Tam Duong
district, Vinh Phuc province, prepares for the
Duc But festival (Buddhist casting festival)
long before the New Year comes. The fes-
tival is held in the Ngoc Kinh Prince temple
on the eighth day of the first lunar month
and includes the recounting of many stories
by groups playing the roles of teachers and
pupils, farmers, and most importantly cast-
ing craftsmen.
Almost 30 people take part. Three
young men are chosen to play Buddhists.
They take a bath before jumping into a slur-
ry pond where they are covered with mud
and made to look like statues. Next, they are
placed on a rush mat and taken ceremoni-
ally to the temple for the ritual.
Meanwhile, the teachers, farmers and
craftsmen act out their roles. After the sto-
ries are finished, the craftsman pour imag-
ing bronze into three moulds which are then
removed to reveal three Buddhist statues.
The young men playing the role of Bud-
dhists throw away the rush mats and run.
Finally, hundreds of people rush to fight for
the mats – it is believed those who succeed
in taking a mat home will have a baby boy
during the year.
Chuong market festival
:
FIGHTING FOR LUCK AND LOVE
Duc But
:
BUDDHIST CASTING FESTIVAL