Surpassing a series of works from Asian lantern powerhouses, lanterns by Hoi An artisans conquered international judges to become the "World's Most Beautiful Lantern" at the Ocean International Lantern Competition.
The event also opens the biggest Spring Festival in Vietnam with a series of days of festivals - entertainment - shopping - checking in at the "top of the roof" in the East of Hanoi.
The most beautiful Vietnamese lanterns in the world
Since the morning of January 18, thousands of tourists have been present at entertainment centers such as Grand World, Little Hong Kong or The Sake of Vinhomes Ocean Park 2, Ocean City to wait for the opening moment of the Oriental Light Festival.
By 6pm, the atmosphere at K-Town Square quickly heated up as the festival’s opening stage was enveloped in brilliant lights and vibrant sounds. The event began with an art performance recreating the cultural journey as well as the starting point of lantern art - a cultural heritage of Asian countries, including Vietnam.
Visitors were amazed to learn more about the meaning and cultural depth of the products brought by the 15 teams to the contest. Highly appreciated by experts through many stages of judging, the work “Sacred Soul of Vietnam” by the Hoi An Craft team (Vietnam) won first prize with a prize worth up to 50,000 USD.
Ms. Chen Jia - Director of Culture - Yuyuan INC, member of Fosun Group (China), member of the Jury, assessed that Hoi An artisans have breathed the soul of Vietnam's long-standing culture and history into the lantern work, using the art of light to convey love and pride in the history of the nation as well as honoring traditional Vietnamese culture. In particular, the work also shows the high creativity of Vietnamese artisans when using environmentally friendly materials, the coconut shell, to create an artistic masterpiece.
“With this special material, during the day, even when the lights are not on, this is still a complete work of art. At night, when lit up, this becomes a sculpture, with a delicate carving language, giving viewers two completely different experiences. We have been exposed to many creative methods in lantern art around the world, but this is the first time we have witnessed the creation of Vietnamese artisans. This is also what touched the hearts of the members of the jury,” Ms. Chen Jia emphasized.
After the emotional award ceremony, the Organizing Committee heated up the stage by announcing 3 records that had been recorded at the Lantern Festival, including "The largest international lantern festival in Vietnam" with more than 30 clusters of works from 5 countries; "The longest lantern festival road in Vietnam" with a light path of nearly 2km and "The largest lantern cluster in Vietnam" from the work "Sacred Soul of Vietnam" by the Hoi An Craft team, measuring 70m x 20m.
The most anticipated event of the opening ceremony is the “Lighting Up” ceremony, officially kicking off the 58-day event series of the largest Spring Festival in Vietnam. The ceremony is held in a space inspired by folk culture, with the image of a giant lantern blooming like a spring flower and a brilliant background of light effects.
Journey to discover traditional oriental culture
After the opening ceremony, a steady stream of visitors poured into the area displaying lantern masterpieces. Everyone was amazed by the brilliant beauty of the “wonders of light” created by human minds and hands, especially the meaningful cultural and historical stories behind them.
Many foreign tourists were surprised to learn that the lantern masterpieces were inspired by two famous ancient books in Chinese and Vietnamese folklore, "Son Hai Kinh & Linh Nam Chich Quai".
“Through this exhibition, I learned more about Eastern culture with thousands of years of history. It is a culture with strong identity, honoring traditional and national values such as patriotism, solidarity, and roots…”, said Mr. Michael Brown, an American expert living in Ocean City.
“This Tet, the whole North will probably flock here to follow the trend and check-in because there are so many unique experiences never seen before, such as time-traveling to become fairies in a colorful setting, checking in to interact with giant beasts from myths and legends, collecting lucky money to win huge gifts…”, said Mr. Hoang Minh, a representative of a travel company.
In addition to checking in and exploring Eastern culture through giant lantern clusters, on the first night of the Eastern Light Festival, visitors can also enjoy endless shopping and entertainment at the Ocean Spring Super Fair, including Giang Vo Spring Market with the theme "4,000-year Tet, 5 Kingdoms Tet", Happy Tet Fair, Ocean Fair, International Grill Village Festival...
Taking place continuously for 58 days with 580 experiences and 1,000 sightseeing, culinary and shopping spots, the largest Spring Festival in Vietnam held in Ocean City will bring millions of visitors an endless Spring journey with a completely new Tet culture. There, each experience brings new values and understanding of culture, tradition, as well as endless inspiration to start a new year filled with joy and luck.
The Oriental Light Festival 2025 will last from January 18 to March 16, 2025 in Ocean City, co-organized by Vinhomes and Sunny Vietnam, with the support of Diamond Sponsor Masterise Homes, Gold Sponsors - Techcombank and Xanh SM. For the first time, millions of Hanoians and visitors will experience the ultimate spring festival lasting 58 days, with 580 unique and special activities. The Oriental Light Festival brings together 5 beautiful - unique - top festival series including: Ocean International Lantern Festival with 30 large works from 5 countries, achieving 3 Vietnamese records; Ocean Spring Super Fair with more than 250 booths; Ocean Art Fest cultural and art festival series; Road-to-8WONDER Music Festival with a series of exciting activities throughout 58 days with the theme "Journey of Light - Sending thousands of joys", making Ocean City a vibrant, attractive spring destination, imbued with the cultural identity of East Asia. Visitors can book tickets to the Lantern Festival at: https://tinyurl.com/OceanCity-LHDL |
The Dinh
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/cuoc-thi-den-long-quoc-te-ocean-den-long-viet-nam-dep-nhat-the-gioi-2364733.html
Comment (0)