(VOVworld) - Saint Giong, one of Vietnam’s four immortals, was proclaimed as Phu Dong Thien Vuong or The Heaven Sent King of Phu Dong Village by one of  the Hung Kings, who then ordered people to build a temple to worship him in his hometown. Although the Giong Festival is celebrated across Vietnam to commemorate a national hero, the Phu Dong village festival is second to none. The festival celebrates the Vietnamese people’s determination to repel all invaders while expressing their hope for peace and propserity. Lan Anh reports:

One of the biggest festivals in the northern region, the Giong festival usually runs from the 6^th until the 12^th of the 4^th lunar month. During the first three days of the festival, the local people organize a ceremony to carry a flag to the Mother’s temple and vegetarian food to the Upper Temple. The main festival day falls on the 9^th day of the lunar month- the day Saint Giong defeated the Yin invaders. To honor the hero, Phu Dong villagers organize a palanquin procession from the Mother’s Temple followed by a mock battle.

One of the selected Generals at the Giong festival

The battle reenactment, which involves hundreds of actors and actresses with props and costumes, uses symbolic flag dances and a victory feast on a great folk stage without any swords. The spectacle conveys inspiring messages about the Vietnamese people’s patriotism, traditional martial arts, resolute determination against enemies, and desire for peace and independence. A village elder Phan Xuan Chinh told VOV: "We are very excited and proud to inherit this festival as a heritage left by our ancestors. People are very thankful to Saint Giong who expelled the invaders and they are eager to contribute anything they can to the festival’s organization. We always invite our friends and relatives to come and join in the festival activities."

Giong Festival always draws thousands of participants and tens of thousands of visitors. More and more people are coming to the annual festival, especially since it was recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010. Mr. Chinh said: "We usually select a General of the battle who mounts his horse to start the flag procession when the signal drum sounds. We also assign healthy young men aged 18 to 50 to be in charge of flags, drums, and gongs and two men to disguise themselves  as tigers. We select several young girls aged between 10 and 13 to act as female generals in the battle."
It is a profound honor to be named the Battle’s General. This man will be called “General” and respected by the villagers for the rest of his life. Festival participants must make or buy their own costumes and take part in training before the festival. Nguyen Manh Tuong, who was chosen to be the General at this year’s event, says that although it took his family a significant sum of money to buy costumes, they are proud to be part of the festival and contribute to preserving it. Ngo Van Nhip, who will portray a soldier in the battle, told VOV: "I never miss a Giong Festival. Without soldiers for the Ải Lao troop- the troop Saint Giong used to defeat the Yin invaders, the festival would lose its historic accuracy. We are very excited and proud to take part in the festival which has been passed down from generation to generation. My father performed as the head of the army troop and now I do the same. Festival participants all pray for luck and happiness for themselves, their families, and other people, too."