Some 30,000 people on May 18 flocked to Gia Lam district of Hanoi to
attend the main day of Giong Festival 2013, commemorating Saint Giong,
who legend says turned from a child to a giant overnight to fight
against invaders in the past.
The Giong festival of Phu Dong and
Soc temples is celebrated annually before the rice harvest to honour the
mythical hero, god and saint, called “Thanh Giong”, who is credited
with defending the country from foreign enemies.
This year’s
festival lasted from May 16-18 (from the seventh to the ninth day of the
forth lunar month) with various traditional unique activities.
On the first two days, the event featured various activities such as
offering ceremonies, processions, folk games and traditional art
performances.
During the main day, the festival symbolically
re-enacted Saint Giong’s feats through the orchestration of an elaborate
flag dance. The performance was ended with the image of Saint Giong
flying into the sky.
Legend has it that Giong was born very
strangely. His mother saw a huge footstep in the field and tried her
foot on. Coming back home, she got pregnant and gave birth to the little
boy named Giong, who never talked or smiled.
When Giong was
three years old, the country was in danger of invasion. The boy asked
the king to forge an iron horse, an armour and a cane for him. Giong
turned into a giant, riding the horse and fighting against the
aggressors. Finally, after got rid off the enemy, he galloped to the
Soc Mountain , taking off the armour and flying into the sky.
As the largest and unique cultural event of Red River Delta region, in
2010 the Giong festival was recognised as part of the intangible
cultural heritage of humanity by the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).-VNA