Inspectors of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism have uncovered many problems associated with organising and managing festivals in some northern provinces.

According to inspectors, in some localities, associations of elderly people manage funds contributed by followers to pagodas and temples. They not only don’t give the money to local treasuries, they only give part to local authorities.

As local administrations don’t have capital to restore relics or invest in festivals, monks at some pagodas and custodians of some temples repair or provide new objects for their pagodas and temples themselves, which harm these relics.

The land of many pagodas and temples has been appropriated by local residents. Typical examples are Lang Mau Temple in Nam Dinh, Tien La Temple, Tran Temple and Thuong Liet Pagoda in Thai Binh, Tieu Pagoda, Ba Chua Kho Temple in Bac Ninh and Tram Gian Pagoda in Hanoi.

At some relics and festivals, gambling, fortune-telling and cheating are rampant.

Inspectors asked the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to combine with the Finance Ministry to issue a joint circular to guide the use of sources of income from festivals and relics.

PV