As the last days of the Year of the Mouse pass by, all across Vietnam festival organisers are poised to kick off celebrations to usher in the Year of the Buffalo.

The Spring Festival will include the procession of Chu Dong Tu, one of four immortal saints in Vietnamese legend. The procession often attracts thousands from Hanoi and its environs every year.

In Ha Noi, a Spring Festival will electrify the street around the emerald-green Hoan Kiem Lake. A demonstration of four of the country’s most revered supernatural creatures will enthral festival-goers. The four collosal creatures: a dragon, a buffalo, a tortoise and a horse, will hover over the crowds around the lake. Four Immortal Saints: Tan Vien, Lieu Hanh, Thanh Giong and Chu Dong Tu will be paraded after the creatures. The pocession will close with colourful depictions of the diverse traditional villages across the city.

On the second day, over 1,000 actors and actresses will collect for a special performance to honour the great national hero Quang Trung – Nguyen Hue city on the 220th anniversary of the Ngoc Hoi – Dong Da Victory.

The festival has been organised by the Ha Noi Culture, Sports and Tourism Department. From the fourth to the sixth day of Tet (January 29 to 31) the festival will move right across the city, to areas like Thuyen Quang Lake, Son Tay City and Ha Dong District.

Celebrations have already started in HCM City. The music show “Gala Music Box to Welcome Spring” opened on Wednesday. It’s a cheerful, cross-generational meeting of famous singers and artists.

From January 23 to February 4, HCM City’s Suoi Tien Tourism Complex will be running fun events for adults and children, including Thuy Tinh – Son Tinh play, and Festival of Fairy Jewellery. At Phung Hoang Tien’s Big Palace, a newly-erected building within the complex, a high-tech stage will be set up for activities, covering an area of 3,000sq.m.

Dam Sen Cultural Park, another popular haunt in HCM City, is ready for the crowds. Cai luong (reformed theatre) music shows are already on show - day and night.

In Ha Long, a city in Quang Ninh Province, a “Traditional Features” exhibition has opened, marking the thousdand- year anniversary of Quang Ninh pottery. The Cai Beo area of the province is known as the pottery capital of Southeast Asia. The pottery products there have been popularised by famous trademarks from the Dong Trieu Company and the Dong Thanh Co-operative.

In the central province of Thanh Hoa, an exhibition introducing old newspapers and books published has already opened. History buffs will get a chance to see 200 precious documents detailing the history and development of Thanh Hoa. There will also be a special display of 70 ancient sac phong (titles granted by kings to the people of Thanh Hoa) in Chinese and Chinese transcribed-Vietnamese. This is an annual activity organised by the provincial library to promote reading as a hobby.

With fun festivals running across the country, Tet is certain to be a cheerful time for Vietnamese and foreigners lucky enough to be here to ring in the Year of the Buffalo.

(Source: VNS)