Along with 400 years of history, Hoi An is an ancient city with timeless beauty. This city owns ancient tile-roofed houses, balconies overlooking the streets, and vivid historical values about the place that was once a bustling port.
Above all, festivals in Hoi An that show the unique local culture are the things that people truly love. If you are making a plan to Hoi An and want to understand more about this city, let’s find out with us through this article.
Hoi An Lantern Festival
- Festival time: 1st, 14th, and 15th day of the lunar month, from 6 pm to around 10 pm
Hoi An Lantern Festival is held on the 1st, 14th, and 15th day of the lunar month. The main festival starts at 6 pm and lasts until midnight. There are many interesting activities that travelers can participate in, such as watching traditional music performances, lion and dragon dances, and Choi performances, which are recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible cultural heritage.
Especially during the Hoi An Lantern Festival, the area on both banks of the Hoai River attracts the most travelers. Along the bank, you can participate in releasing flower lanterns. Local people believe that lanterns with flickering candlelight will carry their wishes and prayers, turning all luck and happiness into reality.
Full Moon Day – The festival for the family bond
- Festival time: from the 12th to 15th of the August lunar month
Full Moon Day is one of the festivals in Hoi An, which is associated with the family bond culture of Vietnamese people. This is a day for everyone to gather together, enjoy moon cake, watch the full moon, and give each other warm wishes.
During the days of the Full Moon Festival, Hoi An lights up with hundreds of decorative lanterns and candlelight. In the evening, while walking around the ancient town, you can enjoy the festival atmosphere.
Lady Thu Bon Festival – The festival to express gratitude to the genie
- Festival time: 10th – 12th February lunar month
Lady Thu Bon Festival is one of the oldest festivals in Hoi An, based on the Vietnamese legend of Lady Thu Bon and Champa culture. The festival is an opportunity for local people to express their gratitude, appreciation, and remembrance of her contributions. In addition, during the festival, people will pray for a smooth new year, with a good harvest, and happy families.
The ceremony is held with these activities:
- ‘Ruoc Sac’ Ceremony: Held on the 11th day, with 9 teams, including big flags, unicorn flags, ancient music, five-colored flags, colorful palanquins, drums, gongs, escort soldiers, elders, and women.
- ‘Ruoc Nuoc’ Ceremony: This is an important part of the Lady Thu Bon Festival, held on the morning of the 12th day. On this day, people will carry water from the upper Thu Bon River to Ba Temple.
- ‘Dai Te’ Ceremony: Held at Ba Temple, with posses including a cleaned male buffalo, a tray of sticky rice, and fruits.
After the ceremony, people will participate in the festival with a lot of folk games, such as singing classical drama, and releasing flower lanterns on the Thu Bon River.
Cau Bong Festival – The beauty of farming culture in Hoi An
- Festival time: 7th January lunar month
Cau Bong Festival is associated with the coriander-growing profession of local people generations in Quang Nam Province. When participating in the Cau Bong Festival, you will have an opportunity to deeply understand the agricultural spirit of Tra Que vegetable village.
The festival is divided into two parts, including the ceremony and the festival. The ceremony starts in the early morning. The most prominent are the soil-digging and vegetable-growing competition, which also shows the beauty of labor. In addition, you can join in the cooking contest or enjoy the famous dishes of Tra Que Vegetable Village.
Long Chu Procession Festival prays for peace and health
- Festival time: 15th January and 15th July lunar month
Long Chu is the dragon boat that used to be a king’s transportation. Hoi An people believe that the Long Chu boat can expel evil spirits, banish monsters, and bring good omens to everyone.
Long Chu Procession Festival is one of the festivals in Hoi An, which shows a culture between Buddhism, Taoism, and folk beliefs. The festival is held at the village communal house, including a ceremony and the festival. The ceremony will include the following rituals:
- ‘Cao Than’ Ceremony: Held in the middle of the night, with possessions including incense, tea, and fruits.
- ‘Te Than’ Ceremony: The host will read the sacrificial text.
- ‘Long Chu’ Ceremony: They will turn Long Chu’s head to the gate. The host will read incantations to summon commanders, soldiers and process Long Chu from the communal house to the cursed land. After that, people will burn the Long Chu boat, and scatter the ashes into the river.
Thanh Ha pottery village festival – An opportunity to bring pottery closers to travelers
- Festival time: 9th – 10th July lunar month
Thanh Ha Pottery Village Festival is one of the famous festivals in Hoi An, which is organized to promote local culture. This is an opportunity to introduce traditional pottery to everyone, as well as better understand the formation and development process of Thanh Ha pottery village.
The festival is divided into two parts, including the ceremony, which was held on the afternoon of the 9th day. There are many rituals and activities in the ceremony: worshiping ceremony, a procession of craft ancestor’s palanquins from Lum Pa Dang Temple to Nam Dieu Temple.
On the other hand, the festival is held on the 10th day, with many interesting activities, such as pottery sharpening, pottery making and displaying, molding competition, pot rice cooking competition, and boat racing on Thu Bon River.
The Ceremony of Mr. Fish – The beauty of the fishing village’s culture
- Festival time: the middle of March lunar month
The Ceremony of Mr. Fish is an important festival of coastal people, associated with the primitive beliefs of the communities. In the mind of fishermen, Mr. Fish is a fish with a premonition, always appearing to help people at sea.
There are many rituals held during the Ceremony of Mr. Fish, including praying peace ceremony, sea procession, chief priest ceremony, etc. In particular, the praying ceremony is the occasion for people to express their gratitude to Mr. Fish, and pray for a successful year.
Hoi An Memories Show – Eye-catching show express the culture, history and identity of Hoi An
- Festival time: 8 pm to 9 pm
- Address: 200 Nguyen Tri Phuong St., Cam Nam Ward, Hoi An City
Hoi An Memories Show is the world’s largest real-life art show, recognized by Guinness as a daily performance program with the largest number of actors and outdoor stage. The show includes 5 main stages, recreating each historical period of Hoi An.
- The first stage (Life): This is the opening performance, recreating a panorama of customs and lives in Hoi An in the past.
- The second stage (Wedding): Recreatingthe wedding scene of Princess Huyen Tran and Champa King Che Man.
- The third stage (Light and Sea): Brings back to Hoi An in the 16th and 17th centuries, associated with the love story between the fisherman and the girl releasing lanterns on the Huai River.
- The fourth stage (Port): Portrays the golden time of Hoi An in the 18th and 19th centuries, when this place was an international trading port bustling with Western, China, and Japan.
- The fifth stage (Ao Dai): Showing the historical period of Hoi An through the image of 100 girls wearing ‘ao dai’.
Lady Thien Hau Procession – Demonstrates the unity of Vietnamese – Chinese culture
- Festival time: 23th of March lunar month
Lady Thien Hau Procession is one of the festivals in Hoi An that shows cultural interference. This is a festival organized by the overseas Chinese community living in Hoi An, to remember and honor Lady Thien Hau.
A special feature of the ceremony is the statue bathing ritual. This is a ritual to cleanse Lady Thien Hau’s statue. People will use clean water-soaked towels to wipe the statue, change robes, and wear new jewelry.
Vu Lan Festival – The opportunity to express filial piety towards parents
- Festival time: full moon day of the July lunar month
Vu Lan Festival is one of the festivals in Hoi An and is widely held throughout Vietnam. This is an opportunity for people to express gratitude and filial piety to their parents, associated with the legend of Muc Lien saving his mother from being exiled by demons.
During the festival, Hoi An lights up with shimmering lanterns. Everyone will release flower lanterns along the river, as well as participate in the ceremony of pinning roses on their chest at local pagodas.
Tips For Attending Festivals In Hoi An 2024
- From May to August is the time when Hoi An organizes many cultural festivals. You can make a plan to Hoi An during this time to enjoy the vibrant atmosphere.
- During the days of festivals, the Hoi An ancient town area will not allow motorbikes and cars. You can walk around to explore.
- Chicken rice, banh mi, Cao lau noodle soup, mango cake, and tofu are Hoi An specialties that you can enjoy during the trio
- If you want to buy souvenirs, lanterns, bronze statues, turtlenecks, conical hats, keychains are the items that you can choose.
- Before releasing flower lanterns or taking a boat down the Thu Bon River, you should ask the price first.
Wrapping Up
The top 10 festivals in Hoi An that we just suggested in the article show the local culture. Explore the timeless charm of Hoi An with our meticulously crafted holiday packages to Vietnam. Discover ancient streets, vibrant markets, and serene beaches with expert guides and personalized itineraries tailored just for you!
