(VOVworld) - The Keo Pagoda festival began in Vu Thu district in the northern province of Thai Binh yesterday. The autumn festival is held annually to honour Zen Master Khong Lo (1016-94) – founder of the Keo Pagoda.

A procession of Keo pagoda Festival

It features a wide range of religious rituals and communal activities, including palanquin parades, cockfighting and love duet singing on boats.
The festival lasts until October 15.
The Keo pagoda, where the event is taking place, was founded in 1061. After it was swept away by a terrible flood in 1611, the pagoda was rebuilt in 1632 and most of its architectural features, including 17 structures with 128 rooms, remain until today.
In 2012, it was recognised as a national special relic site. In addition to the autumn festival, another spring festival takes place here annually on the 4th day of the first lunar month. The pagoda attracts more than 2,500 visitors to Thai Binh every year.