HÀ NỘI Poetry Day, a much-anticipated celebration of poetry every year on the first Full Moon of the Lunar Year, will be held on the grounds of Hà Nội's Thăng Long Royal Citadel on February 24. 

Titled "Harmony of the Country", the Poetry Day honours poets of all 54 ethnicities of Việt Nam. The less-populous communities will receive special attention this year, according to Nguyễn Quang Thiều, Chairman of Việt Nam's Writers Association in a press conference. 

To mark the Day's 22nd celebration, a team of gong players from Hòa Bình Province will perform around 22 torch towers. Poets will recite their poems and international poets will hold talks about their poetry works. A special session will be dedicated to highlight poets from all three regions of Việt Nam.

Some of the great works to be performed this year are Bách điểu bách hoa (Hundreds of birds, hundreds of flowers), Đẻ đất đẻ nước (Giving birth to the soil, the water) and Xống chu xôn xao (Farewell, my love), from the Tày, Mường and Thái ethnic communities, respectively. 

An exhibition procession will be held along the central path from Đoan Môn Gate to Hà Nội Flag Tower. A poetry tree will feature 54 leaves with poetic quizzes. 

A poetry house of fame, in the form of a Tây Nguyên long house, holds a display of memorabilia from 12 significant poets, including late Poet-President Hồ Chí Minh and 11 other poets of other ethnicities. Some of their works have been printed in school textbooks, and some are being introduced for the first time. 

The exhibition opens on February 23, with the House of Memory, Poetry Path, poet talks and games and activities of some poetry clubs. A special discussion session will be chaired on February 24 by Nguyễn Bình Phương, Vice Chairman of the Việt Nam Writers Association. 

Initiated in 2003, Poetry Day has become one of the country's modern festivals celebrating Vietnamese love for poetry in all communities and among people of all ages. Việt Nam's most famous poet Nguyễn Du's works and writings have been loved, learned by heart and celebrated by generations of Vietnamese. 

Poet Nguyễn Bính wrote these famous lines:

"The first advice for you, my darling daughter, is not to marry a poet husband, 

As he shall be very poor and hard to please."

But against all heart-felt advice from a father poet, generations of Vietnamese still fall for the beauty of poetry. VNS