Hanoi (VNA) - The TanVien Son Thanh (Tan Vien Mountain Saint) festival is underway in Minh Quangcommune, Hanoi’s outlying district of Ba Vi from February 17-19.  

The annual festival, including incense-offering andwater procession ceremonies, folk games, music and sport exchanges, aims tocommemorate Tan Vien Son Thanh – one of the four immortals in traditionalVietnamese mythology. 

Ba Vi district is home to more than 100 relic sitesworshipping Tan Vien Son Thanh, including the three temples of Thuong, Trung,Ha –sacred destinations that attract tens of thousands of tourists peryear. 

A tourism promotion programme themed “Ba Vi green tourism -cultural destination” was launched on the occasion.

Boasting a great potential for tourism development, Ba Vi is focusing ondevelop different tourism types, such as cultural and community-based tourism,ecotourism, and resort tourism.

Previously, on February 16, crowds of local and visitors haveflocked to Tien Du district in the northernprovince of Bac Ninh to attend the Lim festival that opened on February 16.

The two-day annual event took place on February 16-17, which fell on the 12thand 13th days of the Lunar New Year. It is dedicated to Quan ho (love duetsinging) recognised as the world’s by UNESCO.

Incense offering rituals and a water procession are staged during the festival.

Representatives from the organising board said thefestivals is part of highlight events to mark the 10 years since Quan ho hasbeen inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Love duet singing is an art form combining various elements,including music, lyrics, costume and a unique style of singing the reflects theclose relationship between singers. Performances of love duet songs are made by“lien anh” (brothers) and “lien chi” (sisters), who are ordinary people hailingfrom different villages.

The rich and diverse tunes and fine lyrics ofthe songs portray the zest for life and distinctive cultural features of peoplein the region formerly called Kinh Bac.

Bac Ninh has made considerable efforts to realiseits commitments to UNESCO to conserve and uphold the value of this art form,thus obtaining comprehensive results.

The songs are alternating response versesbetween male and female singers. Quan ho singing is common at rituals,festivals, competitions, and informal gatherings, where guests will perform avariety of verses for their hosts before singing farewell.-VNA