PANO - Thousands of locals and visitors on February 25th (7th Lunar January) attended the traditional Ploughing Festival 2105 to pray for good weather and a bumper crop in Doi Son commune (Duy Tien district, Ha Nam province).

Preparing for ploughing ceremony

Agriculture always takes a major part in Vietnam’s national economy. All kings of the past dynasties attached special importance to promoting agricultural production. And the festival came into being from the Early Le Dynasty in 987 when King Le Dai Hanh opened the festival by ploughing the field himself in Doi Son, encouraging farming production and farmers to work harder for bigger crops. Since then, the festival has become a traditional festive activity to pray for good weather and bumper crops.

This year’s festival marks the 7th year the festival has been recaptured with various activities including folk games, ceremonial drum performance, folk singing, processions, etc. Of all the activities, the field ploughing ceremony makes the major ritual of the festival.

Translated by Huu Duong