Hoa Lu Ancient Capital Festival

The Kings played a significant role in the establishment of the Dai Co Viet Kingdom and the creation of the capital, Hoa Lu. The festival celebrating this history has been a tradition since Hoa Lu was recognized as an ancient capital. The festival is held on a grand scale every year, particularly in years ending in three, five, eight, and zero. It is celebrated in spring, specifically on the fifteenth day of the second lunar month, which marks the birthday of Dinh Tien Hoang King, or on the eighth and thirteenth days of the third lunar month.

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The festival begins with a ceremonial water procession. The greeting group starts at Dinh Tien Hoang’s Temple and gradually makes its way to the Hoang Long River. The preparation for the procession is quite detailed. The day before the opening ceremony, local inhabitants select a large bamboo pole along the banks of the Hoang Long River and tie a yellow silk ribbon adorned with well-wishes at the top. Once the group reaches the river, they board dragon boats and row to the center of the river. Here, they toss papier mâché offerings into the water to honor Ha Ba and wish for a prosperous and peaceful year ahead. Following this, the ceremony’s host throws a cloth circle into the river and retrieves water, which is then poured into a jar draped in red cloth. This jar is subsequently returned to the temple.

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Upon returning to the Temple of Dinh King and Le King, a worshipping ceremony takes place. The ceremony begins with an oration by the host, structured into nine parts. After each part, a man and a woman perform a Ca trù tune to elaborate on the host's speech.

Apart from the ceremonial activities, visitors can partake in a variety of engaging entertainment programs and traditional games such as human chess, martial arts, boat racing, Chiếu Văn singing, poetry contests, and writing Han ideographs. One of the most exhilarating games featured is Cờ lau tập trận, which recounts the childhood adventures of Dinh Bo Linh.