On February 3, 2025, the Prime Minister issued Official Dispatch No. 09 on organizing festivals after the Lunar New Year and the 2025 Spring Festival. The new point in the Official Dispatch on this year's festivals is to clearly stipulate the participation of leaders of ministries, branches and localities in the festival.
Specifically, the Prime Minister's dispatch noted that cadres, civil servants, public employees, and party members must strictly comply with legal regulations on organizing and participating in festivals; absolutely do not organize and participate in widespread and wasteful festivals; especially take advantage of them to influence and engage in superstitious activities.
In addition, it is necessary to strengthen inspection, examination, and supervision, promptly prevent and strictly handle violations in festival activities to gain profit and cause negative impacts, especially in localities where many festival activities take place, attracting a large number of people to participate.
The Prime Minister stated that absolutely do not attend festivals during working hours, do not use public vehicles to attend festivals, except in cases of performing duties; do not use state budget, means, and public assets against regulations for festival activities.
In particular, the new point in the direction in the Prime Minister's telegram for this year's festival season is: Leaders of ministries, agencies and localities shall not attend festivals unless assigned by competent authorities.
According to journalist Pham Trung Tuyen - Deputy Director of VOV Traffic Channel (Voice of Vietnam), this is a very new detail compared to previous festival seasons, which only mentioned the use of public vehicles or going to festivals during working hours. The Prime Minister's Official Dispatch 09, it can be said, has "hit the nail on the head" on a "sensitive" issue for many years, which is "the habit of petty abuse of positions and powers to seek the interests of the people. And, such petty abuse is not only a matter of public discipline, but also creates a negative reaction in the way people look at the public apparatus" - journalist Pham Trung Tuyen commented.
Explaining this, journalist Pham Trung Tuyen said: Spring festivals, mostly folk festivals, are essentially cultural and religious activities of local communities. The participation of leaders, along with their administrative positions, at people's festivals will entail welcoming rituals, disrupting traditional order, negatively affecting the cultural and religious practices of the people. For example, clearing the road to give priority to officials, cutting in line for leaders to offer offerings, or standing in ceremonial positions that originally belonged to local people...
Participating in festivals or going to the temple at the beginning of the year is ultimately a legitimate need of the people, including leaders. As a legitimate need, it is normal for any leader to attend festivals or attend festivals if their presence is personal and does not violate regulations such as during office hours or using public vehicles. This is the spirit of the Prime Minister's telegram this year to limit a reality that still occurs every year, leaders of local ministries and branches are present at festivals with full titles, even though their positions sometimes have nothing to do with the festival, that presence is completely not representative of any necessary nature. It can be called an abuse of position to fulfill a very personal need of attending festivals, sometimes just to show off, sometimes to get priority in performing rituals.
Participating in festivals and praying is a beautiful feature, a traditional cultural heritage, a healthy spiritual cultural activity. The wish for a peaceful life is a common wish of everyone. Going to the temple to worship Buddha at the beginning of the year, praying for peace for oneself and loved ones, praying for national peace and prosperity is a beautiful need, a sacred ritual that deserves respect. Being a leader or an official does not mean not going to festivals or not participating in festivals. Even those who go out into society and take on important positions but when returning to their villages still participate in the village's rituals and customs in a simple way are even more worthy of respect. It is only necessary to follow the spirit of the directive of telegram 09, absolutely not going to festivals during working hours, not using public vehicles to go to festivals, except in cases of performing duties; as well as local leaders of ministries and branches not participating if not assigned.
The request for leaders of ministries, agencies and localities not to attend festivals arbitrarily, as stated in the Prime Minister's telegram, in my opinion, is an action to restore the innocence and purity of folk festivals. Innocence, purity, and the cultural atmosphere imbued with folklore are the soul, the most attractive and beautiful aspects of spring festivals. But that has been somewhat damaged and lost over the years due to administrative factors.
Many festivals, which are essentially cultural activities of village communities, where both the ritual and the festival should have cultural characteristics, history, lifestyle, and beliefs of the community, with hierarchy and order formed through many generations of villagers. However, they can suddenly become bureaucratized.
Some people will think that the administrative elements that appear in folk festivals are harmless and do not have much influence. But I do not think so. Because I believe that festivals are the crystallization of the culture of each land, naturally passed down through many generations. Any external influence on the rhythm of the festival will change the flavor and color of the festival. It is like cooking a traditional dish and adding foreign spices.
Moreover, festivals are cultural activities of the community, where only the people in the community can be the masters and create the spirit of the festival. There, the gods in the mind, the rituals in the tradition, the customs and aesthetics of the village are important. The appearance of officials, with their administrative role, is inherently undesirable.
Journalist Pham Trung Tuyen – Deputy Director of VOV Traffic channel – Voice of Vietnam.
Source: https://daidoanket.vn/de-le-hoi-la-tin-nguong-cua-cong-dong-10299556.html
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