Thousands of tourists come to the Gióng festival at Sóc temple

(CLO) On February 3, 2025 (January 6, At Ty year), at the Soc Temple National Special Relic Site, Soc Son District (Hanoi), the Giong Festival of Soc Temple officially opened, attracting tens of thousands of people and tourists to attend.

The Gióng Festival at Sóc Temple is one of the largest and most important festivals in the religious culture of the people of Sóc Sơn district, Hanoi city in particular and the whole country in general.

The festival has been recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, to commemorate and pay tribute to the merits of Saint Giong - the man who defeated the enemy and brought peace to the Vietnamese people. In 2025, the festival will take place for 3 days, from February 3 to 5 (January 6 to 8, At Ty year).

The ceremony is considered the "soul" of the festival, including the procession of 8 traditional offerings and the sacrifices of the villages. Photo: Hoang Lan

According to Mr. Tong Giang Phuc, Head of the Department of Culture and Information of Soc Son district, the number of visitors to Soc temple since Tet has reached tens of thousands of people.

The festival consists of two main parts: the ceremony and the festival. The ceremony is considered the "soul" of the festival, including the procession of eight traditional offerings and the sacrificial ceremonies of the villages. The eight offerings to the Saint include bamboo flower baskets, war horses, war elephants, betel and areca nuts, elephant tusks, elephant grass, female generals and cau huc.

The festival is rich with many activities such as sports competitions including wrestling and volleyball, traditional folk games such as stilt walking, pot smashing, tug of war, balancing bridge walking and rice cooking contest.

Many visitors from all over the world come to the festival but security and order are guaranteed. Photo: nhandan

In particular, this year is the third consecutive year that the district-wide Keo Mo ritual and bridge-butting competition have been held. In addition, there are also experiential activities, introducing tourism products, local cuisine and unique OCOP products of the district.

On the morning of the festival's opening, the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports organized a delegation to inspect and supervise the organization of the festival. According to the assessment of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, the festival was organized on a large scale, professionally, and in the spirit of preserving the traditional identity of the Vietnamese people.

PV

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/hang-van-du-khach-ve-khai-hoi-giong-den-soc-post332812.html