(VOV) – Tens of thousands have gathered at Dong Ky village in the northern province of Bac Ninh to celebrate their annual firecracker festival on the 4th to the 6th day of the first lunar month.

This year, hundreds of villagers carried total two massive representations of firecrackers, which were engraved with the four mythical creatures (dragon, lion, tortoise and phoenix) to the communal house for the ritual.
More than 400 villagers, including 300 unmarried men, were mobilized to take part in the procession. Human chess, badminton, volleyball, martial arts and cock fighting were also part of the event.
Four respected elders from each of the four hamlets in the village were selected to perform the ritual, praying for good weather, bumper crops and prosperity.
The festival honors General Thien Cuong who helped the Hung Kings recruit young villagers to fight the enemy and later became the tutelary god of the village.
Since the government banned the use of firecrackers, local people have used symbolic firecrackers in their celebration

Firecracker decoration

Villagers carry each firecracker

The firecracker festival begins

The parade route is hundreds of meters long

Lion dance