Hanh Thien Pagoda Festival

 Keo Thien Pagoda Festival is held in the full moon of the September lunar calendar every year, in Hanh Thien village, Xuan Hong commune, Xuan Truong district. The festival includes: incense offering, praying, chanting, dragon dance, boat racing on the Red River. Subjects of worship: The Buddha and Zen master did not show good people who were good at both poetry, bronze casting ancestors, talented architects who had the merit of helping the kingdom.

Every year, there are two festivals at the temple. It was the Spring Festival on the occasion of the Lunar New Year and the September festival opened on 13,14,15 to celebrate the birth of the Holy Patriarch. The Spring Festival includes duck -catching games, throwing artillery competitions, cooking competitions and other forms of folk arts. The September Association is solemnly organized, in addition to religious rituals, the September Association is also the convergence of the spiritual cultural activities of agricultural residents. Therefore, on the people's festival, not only in the region but also in the South in the North, they were sobbing to the gathering: Even though her father beat his mother, he did not leave the glue pagoda on the full moon. Especially here is usually held from September 10 to the end of the association. The image of the loincloths, wearing short, hands -free braces, healthy headscarus heads, on dozens of fans, in the middle of the river in a rush, cheering and cheering of tens of thousands of people, printed in the soul of the people attending the glue. In addition to worshiping Buddha, the pagoda also worshiped Duong Khong Lo, a poet of the Ly - Tran dynasty, a poet with profound education about Buddhism, a symbol of a cultural creator. After the solemn rituals, the rowing repertoire is most warmly received. The most unique in the festival is the boat racing: There are 15 villages in the village participating in the boat racing or called swimming, there are 10 people on the boat including 1 boatman. Swimming at Keo Thien Nam Dinh pagoda is different from other places, they do not sit and swim but 10 people stand to row. Starting from the river, the village is about 5-6km and then starts to the Ninh River of the Red River, swimming 3.5 rivers and then returns to catch the river if any team returns to the head, it will take the first prize. On average, each swimming contest takes place from 3.5 to 4 h). This is a great traditional competition worthy of memory as well as saved in the history books of our nation.