Question

[Lê Minh Thư]

Do you think unusual festivals? Why/Why not?

Answer 1

[Lê Thị Mỹ Duyên]

Traditional festivals used to be misunderstood in Viet Nam during war time and during the middle of last century. They were accused of wasting time, money and affected the country's production because people thought festivals meant entertainment. Moreover, when traditional festivals went along with religious ritual, they were considered part of feudalism, which needed removing. This resulted in an interruption in the flow of traditional festivals in Viet Nam, making a gap in Vietnamese people's knowledge about the festivals.

Many festivals were inadvertently buried for a long time and have recently been revived. The break in cultural flow caused phenomena threatening the health of the festivals. For example, some festivals lost their typical features, making them the same or similar to others. The monotone nature of festivals could make room for new things, in many cases, the new are not suitable with the old. It's ridiculous to see a beauty contest or play video games in Lim Festival which features "quan ho" (Bac Ninh Province's folk singing.

The most concerning problem now is that festivals are commercialised and distorted. People are secularising festivals, offering different types of services instead of a chance to worship. Many make the festivals an opportunity to make money.

In other cases, festivals became the place for local governments to report their achievements. Professional troupes are hired to perform in traditional festivals, which I think is unusual. Let local people hold the festivals by themselves. Management offices and local governments should focus on orienting, guiding and managing safety and security for the community.

The culture ministry in Viet Nam has planned the inspection and tightening the management and organisation of festivals, especially the traditional ones. Do you think this plan is feasible, given the fact that there are some 7,000 festivals here?