People scramble for lucky tokens at northern Vietnam fest (photos)

A major festival called the “Tran Temple Seal Opening,” which is organized annually in Nam Dinh, the capital city of the eponymous province in the north, began yesterday evening and lingers on until the end of the first lunar month.

Though the rituals to open the royal seal did not begin until 11:15 pm, several thousand pilgrims and visitors were flocking in and around the temple hours before, waiting anxiously for papers with the seal prints, which are traditionally believed to bring their owners good luck for the entire lunar year.

They also patiently waited in the rain and rent rooms near the festival's venue or stayed awake the whole night for their turn to get the paper sheets with seal prints.

According to Cao Thi Tinh, deputy chair of the provincial People’s Committee and head of the festival’s organization board, a task force of over 2,000 people, including local police and security guards, was deployed to ensure order in the areas in and around the festival and the city.

Several layers of fences were set up around the area where the seal would be opened.

A large number of policemen were deployed to ensure the festival would take place in order yesterday.
Photo: Tuoi Tre

At midnight, after the seal-opening ritual was performed with the attendance of local authorities and political leaders, visitors were allowed into the temple to make votive offerings and pray for blessings.

That was when mayhem broke out, as thousands flocked into the temple’s yard and snatched a precious sword along with fruits and flowers on the altars for their share of blessings.

They rubbed their small-denomination banknotes against the sword in the hope of being showered with prosperity for the entire year and would not return the sword until requested by the temple’s management.

The temple’s overseer said removing the sword from its position is a taboo and culturally improper act.

Visitors are seen jostling one another and snatching fruits from the altars in hopes of blessings in the new lunar year.
Photo: Tuoi Tre

A man is shown snatching a fake orchid tub placed on the altar.
Photo:Tuoi Tre

All of the entrances were seriously overloaded.
Photo: Tuoi Tre

Visitors are shown shoving against one another to rub small-denomination of banknotes against the altars for good luck.
Photo:Tuoi Tre

At 6:00 am on Thursday, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, which is considered one of the lunar year’s most significant full-moon occasions, people stood in long queues, waiting for their turn to be bestowed with papers with seal prints.

They usually pay around US$1 or more for each sheet.

The sheets will be handed out to visitors until the end of the first lunar month, according to the organizer.

A large number of joss sticks were burned every short while to ensure fire safety.
Photo: Tuoi Tre

A man contentedly shows off his paper sheet with a royal seal print on it, traditionally believed to bring
the owner good luck in the new lunar year. Photo: Tuoi Tre