Expect a civilized and healthy holiday season

The first days of the new year are also the time when the 2024 Spring festival season begins. Along with many festivals opening in all regions of the country, many requirements are placed on localities such as innovation, closeness, determination, strengthening the effectiveness and efficiency of state management, aiming for a civilized, healthy, safe festival season, imbued with traditional cultural identity. The 2024 festival season marks the first time that the "Set of criteria on cultural environment in traditional festivals" issued by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on August 3, 2023 has been deployed in localities towards a safe, civilized and healthy festival season.

We had a conversation with Director of the Department of Grassroots Culture (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) Ninh Thi Thu Huong about strengthening inspection, supervision and urging localities in managing and organizing festivals.

Dong Da Mound Festival commemorates the event of King Quang Trung marching to the North to defeat 290,000 Qing troops (photo by Nam Nguyen)

+ Dear Director Ninh Thi Thu Huong, 2024 is the first year to implement the "Set of criteria on cultural environment in traditional festivals". Along with other documents of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on strengthening the management and organization of festivals, what is the significance of this, madam?

- Director Ninh Thi Thu Huong: Since November-December 2023 and early 2024, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has issued many documents requesting localities to strengthen measures to ensure the management and organization of festivals in a safe, healthy and civilized manner.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has issued Official Dispatch No. 5833/BVHTTDL-VP on "Strengthening the management and organization of cultural, sports, tourism and festival activities to celebrate the Year of the Dragon 2024" to agencies, units and localities. In particular, the dispatch emphasizes the following contents: Strengthening the responsibility of local government leaders in managing and organizing festivals according to decentralization; functional units and grassroots authorities develop plans to ensure security, order, social safety, fire prevention and fighting, environmental protection, hygiene, food safety, traffic safety for festival, sports and tourism activities; ensuring that festival activities are organized solemnly, in accordance with traditional rituals; inspecting, checking and strictly handling acts of taking advantage of festivals for profit, superstitious activities, gambling, etc.

Right before the Lunar New Year 2024, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also sent a series of official dispatches to localities with festivals that attract large numbers of participants such as Hanoi, Hai Phong, Nam Dinh, Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc, requesting localities to closely monitor festival activities.

In particular, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has advised the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism to issue Decision No. 2068/QD-BVHTTDL to develop a "Set of criteria on cultural environment in traditional festivals". The set of criteria aims to encourage, orient and promote localities and festival organizers to improve the quality of traditional festival management; build a healthy cultural environment, meeting the cultural and spiritual needs of the people. The set of criteria contributes to concretizing the Party and State's guiding viewpoints on building a healthy cultural environment; enhancing innovation and improving the effectiveness of festival management and organization at the grassroots level. Through that, localities build a civilized and healthy festival cultural environment; preserve and promote traditional cultural values, good customs and practices of the nation and spread them in social life. At the same time, raise awareness and sense of responsibility of people and tourists about building a healthy cultural environment when participating in festivals. Using the above criteria aims to standardize the construction of a cultural environment in traditional festivals, and at the same time serve as a tool and measure to evaluate the capacity of state management and the effectiveness of organizing festivals in localities.

Director of the Department of Grassroots Culture Ninh Thi Thu Huong

+ What are the requirements for localities in implementing this set of criteria, madam?

- Director Ninh Thi Thu Huong: Specifying criteria for building a cultural environment at relics and festivals is an important solution to improve the effectiveness of organizing festival activities in a civilized, healthy, economical, and popular direction; eliminating violent rituals and offensive, deviant behaviors. When organizing festivals, it is necessary to prevent and strictly handle violations, especially acts of taking advantage of relics and festivals for personal gain, inciting violence, illegally circulating and trading cultural products; not allowing the organization of star offering and disaster relief to transform into a service for personal gain; distributing seals must be consistent with the historical origin of relics and festivals; not allowing subjects to take advantage of and attract crowds at festivals to propagate and promote activities with signs of heresy, superstition, contrary to good customs and traditions, violating regulations on implementing civilized lifestyles. In particular, it is necessary to further enhance the role and responsibility of leaders at all levels in developing plans, scenarios and plans for organizing festivals. The Department of Grassroots Culture has issued a document guiding localities in applying criteria on cultural environment to festival management and organization and will continue to synthesize and monitor the implementation of the criteria set by localities during the 2024 festival season.

People go to Huong Pagoda festival 2024

+ From the positive changes in festival management and organization in 2023, what are your expectations for the 2024 festival season?

- Director Ninh Thi Thu Huong: We hope and believe that the management and organization of festivals will become increasingly systematic, scientific and effective, with the attention and close direction of the Party and State leaders; the timely and proactive guidance of the central ministries and branches and the seriousness of localities in implementing Decree No. 110/2018/ND-CP of the Government on festival management and organization. In 2024, festivals need to be organized solemnly and practically; in accordance with the scale and content of the festival. Traditional festivals will be organized in accordance with their true nature and historical-cultural significance; building a civilized and healthy festival cultural environment; preserving and promoting traditional cultural values, good customs and practices of the nation and spreading them in social life; gradually eliminating backward customs and practices.

+ Thank you very much!

Source: https://toquoc.vn/nam-dau-tien-trien-khai-bo-tieu-chi-ve-moi-truong-van-hoa-trong-le-hoi-truyen-thong-ky-vong-mua-le-hoi-van-minh-lanh-manh-20240215164753408.htm