This year, hundreds of villagers carried total two massive representations of firecrackers, which were engraved with the four mythical creatures (dragon, lion, tortoise and phoenix) to the communal house for the ritual.
To perform the ritual, more than 400 villagers, including 300 unmarried men, were mobilised to support the procession. Folk games such as human chess, badminton, volleyball, martial arts and cock fighting were also held during the event.
Four respected elders from each of the four hamlets in the village were selected to perform the ritual, praying for good weather, bumper crops and prosperity.
The festival has aimed to honour General Thien Cuong who helped Hung Kings recruit young villagers to fire on the enemy and was later considered the tutelary god of the village.
Ever since the Government banned the use of firecrackers, local people have made symbolic firecrackers and organised the ritual.
Firecracker decoration |
Villagers carry each firecracker |
The firecracker festival begins |
The parade route is hundreds of metres long |
Lion dance |
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