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Time: The 5th day of the first lunar month.
Place: Dong Da Mound, Dong Da District, Hanoi.
Objects of worship: King Quang Trung (Nguyen Hue).
Characteristics: "Thang Long Fire Dragon" dancing
On the early morning of the 5th day of Tet Ky Dau (in the first lunar month of
1789), King Quang Trung defeated the Qin troops at Dong Da Hill, which became a
glorious historical site of Vietnamese nation. Ever since, on the 5th annual of
the first lunar month, Hanoi people hold a festival to celebrate this historic
victory.
Early in the morning, residents in beautiful traditional dress gather at Khuong
Thuong Communal House, which is decorated with flags, to burn incense. A grand
sacrifices - offering ceremony is conducted after daybreak.
Until 12 o’clock, a god procession of celebration commences from Khuong Thuong
to Dong Da Hill. The procession includes flags, parasols, palanquins with a
variety of colours, and the sounds of gongs and drums. Its most special part is
the fire dragon which is decorated with straw, cataphyll, and coarse paper. The
“Thang Long Fire Dragon” has become a symbol of victory of the nation.
The whole procession walks and sometimes dances in the rhythm of castanets. A
group of young people, dressed in martial suit, then goes around and performs a
piece that recounts the whole period of the war.
When the procession comes to Dong Da Hill, there is an incense - offering
ceremony after which someone reads the story of the Ky Dau victory that praises
the military genius of the national hero, Quang Trung. There are also various
games to play and competitions that challenge the skills and intelligence of
participants on the wide field in front of hill.
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