Vietnam Gov't determined to tone down violent festivals

(VNF) - The Vietnamese government has taken a firm stance against festivals known for their violence and superstitions, including a pig slaughtering ritual that was described by Animals Asia as a “display of barbaric animal cruelty” said at a conference Tuesday (Jan. 10^th) in Hanoi.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) organised the conference to review festivals held over the last year. The conference was joined by representatives from a number of festivals’ organising boards and departments of culture nationwide.

The MCST has ordered an end to all performances that include either violent or offensive rituals in October of 2016, such as killing animals, and this is the first time it has taken such a tough stance.

The Ministry also said that the number and the scale of spring festivals must be scaled down.

Vietnamese people are getting ready to ring in the Year of the Rooster on January 28^th. During the Lunar New Year celebrations, people employ various practices hoping for a prosperous new year. One of them is going to traditional festivals in the belief that they will bring them luck in the New Year.

Vietnamese traditional festivals feature not live music, outdoor games and sometimes ritual animal sacrifices. They are ritually sacrificed at traditional festivals to bring what is considered good luck for the New Year.

The pig slaughtering festival in Bac Ninh Province, about 40 kilometers north of Hanoi, has drawn international criticism and been strongly condemned by local people, with some even calling on the government to ban the festival.

A participant hacked a pig with a sword during a festival at the Nem Thuong village in Bac Ninh, about 40 km north of Hanoi. (Photo: Animals Asia)

Trinh Thi Thuy, Head of Ministry of Culture Department that supervises local festivals, said it has asked local villages to stop organizing such festivals that are offensive to the public.

She also pointed out that some local authorities, despite the government’s disapproval, have still managed to turn traditional buffalo fighting festivals into gambling rackets.

“We’ve asked Hai Phong to prevent its buffalo fighting festival from becoming commercialized,” said Ms. Thuy.

Le Thi Minh Ly, member of the National Council for Cultural Heritage, agreed that factors that are not suitable to modern society and current lifestyle trends can be changed. However, she stressed that the authorities should respect, share and discuss with the community in the organistion of festivals.

“Due to the war and changes throughout history, the organization of traditional festivals was interrupted for decades,” she said.

“That’s the reason why some traditional values of the festivals are lost and some new details are added. The authorities should work closely with the cultural researchers and people – owners of the festivals, to organise them in the most suitable way.”

Also, last year, the MCST banned buffalo-fighting festivals in Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Nghe An and Quang Nam provinces because they involved violence that may have a bad influence on the community, especially children, said Culture Minister Nguyen Ngoc Thien./.

( Compiled by VNF )