The Long Tong (going to the field) festival got underway in Bo Lu field,
Nam Mau commune, Ba Be district of Bac Kan province on February 19
(the tenth day of the first lunar month).
This is
the biggest agricultural festival of the northern mountainous province
and Viet Bac region (including six provinces of Bac Kan , Thai
Nguyen, Tuyen Quang, Cao Bang, Lang Son, and Ha Giang).
Local ethnic groups offered trays of local specialities to gods to
thank them for the crops and to ask for their blessings so local
people can enjoy favourable weather conditions and have a comfortable
and happy life in the New Year.
During
the festival, cultural and sporting activities including stilt
walking, shooting with a bow and arrows, and “con” (cloth ball) throwing
are organised.
As Ba Be lake has just been
recognised as a special national heritage, this year’s two-day festival
also includes tours on the lake.
On the same day, a similar festival also took place in Thai Nguyen province.
The ceremony involves solemn rituals to pray for good crops and good
luck by Tay , Dao and San Chay ethnic minority groups.
A prestigious shaman is the first person to go off the field to
conduct the Long Tong ritual while a good elderly farmer and a strong
buffalo are chosen to make the first furrow for the new crop.-VNA