 |
| Leaders of Chiem Hoa District, Tuyen Quang Province, beat drums to open the festival. |
Celebrated annually between the 8th day of the Lunar New Year, the festival is a religious ritual dedicated to the god of agriculture to receive his blessing for verdant crops and prosperity for villagers throughout the year.
The annual event begins with a parade of nine trays of local specialties as an offering to gods to thank them for good crops and hopes for a prosperous and peaceful time ahead in the New Year.
It was followed by a lion dance, performed by youngsters, a Tich Dien (ploughing) ceremony, and folk games such as tug of war, stick pushing, and cloth ball throwing.
 |
|
Ritual of offering to gods to thank them for good crops at the Long Tong Festival. |
The Tay ethnic group in Tuyen Quang Province has more than 215,000 people, accounting for nearly 27% of the province's population.
Long Tong is a typical festival of the Tay people in Tuyen Quang Province, recognised as a national intangible cultural heritage and has become a unique tourist product during each Tet and Spring season.
