The palanquin procession from Cổ Ngựa Temple to Lord Then Temple during the Forest Opening Festival in Bắc Giang. Photo courtesy of Bắc Giang Province

BẮC GIANG — A traditional show featuring then singing has attracted hundreds of tourists at the Forest Opening Festival in the northern province of Bắc Giang from February 19 to 21. 

The show includes folk drum and then singing performances about the legends and mysteries of the ancient Hương Sơn Forest in Hương Sơn Commune, Lạng Giang District. 

Tourists have a chance to see a unique procession from Cổ Ngựa Temple to Lord Then Temple and the forest opening ceremony at Lord Then Temple. They also experience folk games such as blindfolded goat catching, blindfolded pot smashing and tug of war.

The forest opening festival is a long-standing, traditional cultural and religious activity of the Tày and Nùng ethnic groups associated with the custom of worshiping the Goddess of the Forest.

To open the forest gate, the Then Lord Temple holds a ceremony to worship the Goddess of the Forest, then reads an oration asking for permission to open the forest gate while offering wine to the Gods. 

The rituals of worshiping the Goddess of Forest at Lord Then Temple are a special form of cultural and religious activities with a combination of cultural elements and many unique art forms.

It is not only to thank the Goddess of Forest for supplying water and other resources to the people, but also to educate the younger generation about forest protection.

Hương Sơn Commune in the past was a large mountain forest area, an important forest gate to the north.

Throughout history, the heroic land of Hương Sơn has witnessed and accomplished many glorious victories for the Vietnamese people. 

One example is the battle with Ming invaders at Cần Trạm Citadel in the fall of 1427. The Cần Trạm victory, along with the victories of Chi Lăng, Hố Cát, and Xương Giang, contributed to the end of the 20-year resistance war against the Ming invasion.

The forest opening festival has lured a large number of tourists and promotes the cultural preservation and development ​​of Tày, Nùng and Sán Dìu ethnic groups in Hương Sơn Commune, Lạng Giang District. — VNS