Quang Nam Festival
Madam Thu Bon Festival
12th of the lunar month
Every year, the population of Thu Bon organizes a festival in honour of Madam Thu Bon, also called Madam Bo Bo, Ceremonies, boat races and hat boi (Vietnamese tradional opera) performances take place.
Long Chu Festival
15th of the 7th lunar month
This festival of the boatmen living around Hoi An is believed to hold back epidemics and diseases in the transition of a season. It take place in the communal house or in the administration house of the village.
Long Chu is a royal boat, s symbol of divinnity able to scare away epidemics and diseases. Therefore, the festival includes a procession to carry a royal bamboo-structured boat and fabric paper alephant from the communal house to the river wharf and the laucching of rafts and boats into the river and sea.
Before the festival, sorcerers set up an incense table and perform exocisms. Accompanying them is a procession of young follks holding spears and scimitars in order to clean up village roads and bushes, while singing alternate songs cheesfully. On the main festive day, the religious, chief conduccts a sacrificial service. After that, a procession begins to carry the royal boat around the village to drive away evil spirits, apidemics and diseasea.
Cau Ngu Festival
1st of the April (by solar calendar)
The festival used to take place annuallyon a fine spring day on the Hoi An River, near Cua Dai estuary. Recently, its date has been changed to April 1st in commemoration of President Ho Chi Minh’s visit to a fishing village in Hoi An.
Cau Ngu Festival conveys the fishermen’s aspiration for bumper fish catches in the New Year to the Genie and Genie Whale. The festival starts with soleum rituals, followed by traditional games and art performances such as singing and dancing, tug of war, boat racing, and so on.
Boat racing is an activity very typical of the people of Hoi An, and the coastal areas in general. It takes place at the yearly festival of Cau Ngu (Praying for Fish). It is very animated and exciting, and it attracts many professional boat teams in the locality, as well as pilgrims. The race is not only a competition kf talents bt also a great event of a sacred charater, in which the local people pray fot favourable weather, peace and prosperity.