Ancient town’s Full Moon Festival given national heritage status

National Intangible Heritage Certificate of the mid-autumn Full Moon Festival of Hội An ancient town is presented to the city's authorities. Photo courtesy of Hội An City's Centre for Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation

HỘI AN — The mid-autumn Full Moon Festival (on the 14th day of the eighth lunar month) in Hội An ancient town in central Quảng Nam Province has been awarded National Intangible Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, promoting the traditional community culture preservation.

It is the first and the only Full Moon Festival in Việt Nam to receive the National Intangible Heritage certificate.

Hội An’s Full Moon Festival depicts its unique style with the spiritual Heaven Dog dance, in combination with lion dancing that can be seen everywhere during the festive season throughout the country.

The spiritual Heaven Dog dance performed in the Old Quarter of Hội An. The festival has been recognised as the National Intangible Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Photo courtesy of Trương Khánh Chi 

According to the city’s Centre for Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation, the mid-autumn festival of Hội An is a post-harvest event where people gather in celebration of a bumper harvest by making cakes and offerings from farm produce, expressing gratitude to Heaven for peace and abundant crops.

A mock-up of the spiritual Heaven Dog is displayed in Hội An ancient town. The traditional mid-autumn fullmoon festival is annual community event. Photo courtesy of Trương Khánh Chi 

During the evening, the annual festival is celebrated with lantern decoration in the Old Quarter, creating a unique entertainment experience for visitors touring Hội An town.

The UNESCO-recognised world heritage site received the annual Nguyên Tiêu Festival – the fifth national intangible heritage of Hội An after Thanh Châu bird's nest, Thanh Hà Pottery village, carpentry of Kim Bồng Village and Trà Quế vegetable garden.

Children interact with dancers of spiritual Heaven Dog dance during the mid-autumn Full Moon Festival in Hội An. Photo courtesy of Hội An City’s Centre for Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation

Hội An City has launched an online portal – Hội An innovation city – on metaverse and bizverse showing the UNESCO-recognised Hội An in cutting-edge 360 virtual reality technology to attract tourists.

The Old Quarter of Hội An was recognised as a world heritage by UNESCO in 1999 along with Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary, and Hội An-Chàm Islands world biosphere reserve in 2009. 

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