Saint Gióng also known as Phù Đổng Sky King in historical literature is a legendary hero of the ancient Vietnamese. Many centuries ago, Saint Gióng festival of Phù Đổng village –his homeland– was ranked as the most attractive one in the Northern Delta. It attracts tens of thousands of people from everywhere to attend thanks to its performing match like a battle that reenacts the national hero’s victory. The festival in Phù Đổng Village symbolically re-enacts the battles, in which the saint’s generals, such as Flag Master, Drum Master, Gong Master, Army Master and Children’s Master fight against the enemies generals. Gióng festival takes place from the 6th to the 12th day of the fourth lunar month, mobilizing hundreds of village male teenagers who act phù giá (assisstants) in an elite troop. On the 6th day of the fourth lunar month, those who act generals have to be launched in front of the Sky King, and then gather at Phù Đổng temple where they officially enter the time and space of the legend. A ritual of sacrifice is one of the most important practices of the festival at Sky King Temple as it is believed that sacrifice symbolizes the community’s respect dedicated to the holy Saint. It is followed by the ritual of water procession performed by the generals of the troop, which implies that sacred water taken from Mẫu Temple is used to bathe the weapon. The chess-playing ritual also known as the battle ritual is the central activity of Gióng festival of Phù Đổng temple and it is practiced in the form of a grand performance. In the Sóc Temple, where Saint Giong ascended to Heaven on his iron horse, the celebrations include a ritual of bathing Giong statue and a procession of bamboo flowers and elephant to the temple as offerings to the saint. Bamboo flowers are dispersed to villager as a good luck throughout the year.

Viet Nam 2010

Islam plays a large role in the social and family life of Uzbeks. At the same time, Uzbeks cannot be called fanatical Muslims - for all the multifaceted nature of local life, there is always a lot of secular in it, and the tolerance of local residents is widely known outside the country. As you know, a faithful Muslim must turn to God five times a day at a certain time ("namaz"), voluntarily deduct from his income the benefits of the poor or for godly deeds, during the month of Ramazan observe fasting, make a pilgrimage, etc. Many Uzbeks try to follow these requirements. Also, religious customs and traditions of Uzbeks include the celebration of Kurban bayram and Iid al-Fitr, attend Friday prayers, take seriously their family duties, perform charity and other godly deeds.

The festival is held at Bản Phủ temple (Bản Phủ citadel) on February 24 to 28 every year to commemorate the merits of "Then Chất" (Hoàng Công Chất - Leader of the peasant uprising during the Lê - Trịnh dynasty) and Thái generals who were instrumental in suppressing the Phẻ enemy. The festival consists of two parts: the ceremony part and the festival part. The ceremony begins with a palanquin procession from the intersection of Noong Hẹt market to Bản Phủ temple. The procession is led by a Thái woman, followed by 16 young men symbolizing the insurgents in conical hats, brown shirts, yellow belts, neat swords and spears, and finally a palanquin carrying the sacred relics. At the Temple yard, 16 young men recreated the image of insurgents dancing with swords and spears to defeat the enemy, followed by a dragon dance, and then the ceremony of reading death anniversary wishes. The palanquin procession includes lion and dragon dance team (men), a gong and drum team (men), a parasol flag team (women), an offering team (women), a palanquin carrying team (women), and a sacrifice team (women world), government representatives and people. When the palanquin procession arrived at Hoàng Công Chất temple at Bản Phủ Citadel, the female priesthood team conducted incense offerings, and sacrifices, and read written wishes about the struggle against the Phe invaders led by General Hoàng Công Chất. The female priesthood team consists of 27 Thái and Kinh members. In particular, during the ceremony, there were 4 Thái women representing the indigenous people offering flowers and offerings. The festival includes many entertaining activities such as Xòe dancing, bamboo dancing, shuttlecock throwing, pipe coaxing dancing, stick pushing, sack dancing, tug of war, etc.

The Trần Thương Temple Festival is held from August 18 to 20 (lunar calendar), at Trần Thương Temple - the place to worship Hưng Đạo Đại Vương, his family and generals who contributed to the resistance war against the Yuan-Mongol army and also the place where Hưng Đạo Đại Vương chose to build a food warehouse, providing food for the army. The festival features many traditional rituals such as: The ritual to ask Đức Thánh Trần for people to open the Temple and organize the festival; The local people's worship and worship of the Saint; releasing flower lanterns at Trần Thương Lake; the spiritual ritual on the anniversary of Đức Thánh Trần... The most special feature of the festival is the food distribution ritual held on the night of January 14 and early morning of January 15 with the following rituals: The ritual of carrying food from the food warehouse into the temple for the ritual; the torch lighting and incense offering ritual by delegates and people and the ritual of carrying food into the secret ritual at the back palace, to recreate the history of "distributing military food" to reward the army of the Trần Dynasty when they defeated the Yuan-Mongol invaders for the third time.

The festival is held on the 5th and 6th of January at Hào Pagoda, associated with the merits of Buddha Emperor Trần Nhân Tông and three tutelary gods including layman Nguyễn Danh Quang, Nguyễn Danh Nguyên and Lý Đình Khuê. The villagers organized a procession of Saint tablets and offerings from the 5 villages to the pagoda, offering incense and worshiping the Ancestors. In the past, each family had a palanquin to receive communion. Nowadays, it is replaced by procession. The feast is elaborately prepared and presented with many regulations. Early in the morning of the 4th, dragon palanquins carried the conferments from Hào pagoda to Đụn communal house to hold the ceremony. On the 5th, the procession of ordained people returns to the pagoda and continues the ceremony. There are 16 men participating in the sacrificial team, distributed according to zodiac signs. Weeks of worship include offerings of flowers and incense and thanksgiving. On the 6th day, the village takes the conferred ordinations to the temple to worship the three tutelary gods to worship. In the procession, 8 people carrying swords and spears will dance movements according to martial arts positions, reenacting the story of three laymen who fought left and right, commanding soldiers to fight the Mongol invaders. Festival: The unique feature of the Festival is the swimming competition, associated with the anecdote of King Trần Nhân Tông stopping by to visit the pagoda on his way. In particular, the first and second-best swimming teams will participate in duck-catching and rice-cooking competitions on the river. The rice cooking contest took place enthusiastically amid the cheers of the audience: the contestant sat on a boat with a firewood stove cooking rice; Both keep the rice cooking fire and rice cooker safe and prevent other boats from cooking rice by splashing water, however, do not fall directly into the kitchen. The team wins when the stove does not collapse, the rice is cooked first, and it tastes better. The duck-catching game is also unique: the person who catches the duck still has to dive underwater, use their hands to dig out the duck's gizzard, and then hold the gizzard in their mouth before emerging.

The Liễu Đôi Westling Festival is held on the 5th of January every year to commemorate the merits of the young man surnamed Đoàn who was good at martial arts and fought to save the country. After the ritual of welcoming the Saint to "Dóng" - that is, the place where the wrestling is held, the Thanh Động ritual depicts the sound of thousands of soldiers going to battle to kill the enemy to save the country; the flag-raising ritual; the ritual of handing over the sacred sword and tying red scarves to express the wish to honor talented and virtuous people who come to the wrestling festival. The festival is attended by people from Liễu Đôi village and villages with a tradition of wrestling and martial arts near and far, including both men and women. Although it is a performance, the profound meaning of the custom is to maintain the wrestling festival because being a Liễu Đôi person means knowing how to wrestle, being born knowing how to wrestle, and having to accept the task of wrestling and martial arts. Liễu Đôi wrestling festival demonstrates the martial spirit and solidarity of the Vietnamese people, upholds the tradition of fighting against foreign invaders of our ancestors and contributes to enriching the cultural identity of the Vietnamese nation.

Cửa Ông Temple Festival is held on the 3rd and 4th of the 2nd lunar month at Cua Ong Temple to honor the historical figure, the national hero of the Trần Dynasty who contributed to the resistance war against the invading Nguyên Mông army, that is Trần Quốc Tảng, who is still known as Đức Ông by the people. The ritual is solemnly organized with incense offering, flower offering, worship, reenactment of the divine story of the god, and procession of Đức Ông to the Thượng Temple. The Đức Ông palanquin procession is like a parade demonstrating the strength of the community, symbolizing a tour, a march to fight the enemy in the border area of ​​the Fatherland, protecting the country, and maintaining a peaceful life. The festival takes place enthusiastically with folk games such as: tổ tôm điếm, tug of war, cooking rice, betel making, preparing offerings, cockfighting, human chess, blindfolded pot smashing, stick pushing, boat racing, human chess. The festival symbolizes the spirit of fighting against foreign invaders to protect the country and has profound humanistic values.

Inscribed in 2012 (7.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Nearly every Korean knows and enjoys singing Arirang, which is not just one song but a variety of local versions handed down throughout Korea. Experts estimate the total number of folk songs carrying the title ""Arirang"" at some 3,600 variations belonging to about 60 versions. Arirang is essentially a simple song, consisting of the universal refrain Arirang, arirang, arariyo, and lyrics that have developed differently from region to region. The most typical lines express a universal sentiment: Arirang, arirang, arariyo; Over the Arirang hill you go. (refrain) Leaving me, my love, you'd go lame before three miles. (lyrics) The lyrics were not created by any particular individual, but an outcome of collective contributions made by ordinary Koreans through generations. They convey joys and sorrows of common people arising from love, parting with the beloved, troublesome in-laws, or national struggle against foreign invaders. Affection for Arirang is evident throughout today's ultra-modern Korean culture, well beyond the realm of traditional music. Arirang has been rearranged into modern ballads, rock 'n roll and hip-hop, as well as symphonic pieces, appealing to a wide array of audiences and striking a chord with Koreans; it is often described as their unofficial national anthem. Olympic champion Kim Yu-na skated to an Arirang theme, ""Homage to Korea,"" at the 2011 World Figure Skating Championships. Arirang is also one of the most recognized cultural symbols and is widely used as a theme for movies, dramas and soap operas, and names of commodities, restaurants, and broadcasting companies.

South Korea 2012

The Trò Chiềng Festival is held in Trinh Xa village, Yen Ninh commune, Yen Dinh district, Thanh Hoa province from the 10th to the 12th of the first lunar month, to commemorate the great contributions of Tam Công Trịnh Quốc Bảo - the village's tutelary god - the founder and teacher of Trò Chiềng, and to pray for a peaceful and happy new year. Trò Chiềng was originally an elephant war game (also known as elephant fighting), which later developed into a festival with 12 performances. The founder of Trò Chiềng was Thanh Hoang Tam Cong Trinh Quoc Bao (998 - 1085). Thanh Hoang Tam Cong Trinh Quoc Bao also had the name Trịnh Bạn, a native of Định Xá village (Chiềng village). Trinh Quoc Bao was an official under the Ly dynasty, and had contributed to helping King Ly Thanh Tong defeat the Song army in the North and pacify the Champa invaders in the South, so he was given the title of Dong Phuong Hac Quang Dai Vuong. The Trò Chiềng Festival is organized in 2 parts: The ceremony begins with the Phụng Nghinh worship ceremony, incense offering, and elephant procession from Trinh Xa communal house to the commune stadium to report to the village's tutelary god about a year of labor and production of the local people. The festival takes place with 12 special performances such as: Golden neck procession, chicken neck procession, tutelary god procession, son-in-law selection, horse racing, elephant fighting, dragon fighting, carp transforming into dragon, Phung Hoan procession, fireworks... The toys are made of materials: bamboo, rattan, fabric... In which, elephant fighting is considered special and has become a cultural beauty of the people of Trinh Xa village. The fighting elephants are woven from bamboo and rattan, carried by 4 strong young men on 4 legs and a strong, experienced old farmer holds the stick to control the elephant's head for fighting. When "Thượng Soạn" gives the order, the 2 elephants will charge at each other, fighting with 2 tusks; The old custom stipulates that elephants will fight in 2 rounds, each round has 3 rounds, the one that is pushed back will lose. After the performance ends, all elephants, horses, and dragons will be transformed and announced to heaven and earth, to show gratitude for the merits of their ancestors and predecessors. The festival also takes place enthusiastically with competitions: making longan cakes, and banh la rang bua - traditional products of the locality. After the performance ends, all elephants, horses, and dragons will be transformed and announced to heaven and earth, to show gratitude for the merits of their ancestors and predecessors. The Trò Chiềng Festival reenacts all aspects of life, working, fighting, playing... guiding people back to history, their roots, and a good life. The festival is a cultural activity, meeting the spiritual needs of the people, praying for the people's health, prosperity, and good crops; it is an opportunity for people to express their respect and gratitude to the gods and ancestors who have built and defended the country. This is a typical festival in the cultural life of the residents of the Mã River Delta. With its unique values and historical significance, the Tro Chieng Festival was recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2017.

Communal house gate singing - Nhà tơ singing has existed in large spaces in coastal villages of Quang Ninh province since the 13th century. This type is associated with ancient communal houses such as Trà Cổ communal house, Bầu village communal house, Vạn Ninh communal house (Móng Cái), Quan Lạn communal house, Hà Vực communal house (Vân Đồn), Đầm Hà communal house, Tràng Y communal house (Đầm Hà), My Sơn communal house (Hải Hà). Communal house gate singing is performed according to the following steps: 1/Drum. 2/Incense Church. 3/Offering incense. 4/Sing tunes. 5/Read more. 6/Recite poetry.7/Thổng. 8/Dồn.. 9/Send letter. 10/Sing and dance. 11/Great stone (Đại thực). 12/Bỏ bộ Sing and dance. 13/Bài bông Sing and dance. 14/Performing music and dancing to four sacred animals. The content of communal house singing is to praise the national heroes who fought foreign invaders, the pioneers who founded villages and hamlets, and those who have made great contributions to the country and the village. Singing at the communal house includes 9 melodies: Echo voice, musical scream, drop voice, Huỳnh voice, Giai voice, Phú voice, Xà lam voice (Trù singing), brake voice and Thập nhị tứ hiếu voice; together with 4 dances: Offering dance, sacrificial dance, lamp dance, and cotton dance. The performance space is a large communal house, with the participation of many people: the singer, the bass player, and the drum beater all stand; beater; The performers wear traditional brown ao dai; Before singing, there are 3 dance songs, the dance team has from 6 to 12 people; In particular, the incense offering dance has 2 songs, the dance to welcome the god to the village communal house (to process him), the dance to offer flowers to celebrate the god, the lamp dance to send him off, the whole dance team dances and sings.

Inscribed in 2015 (10.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Tugging rituals and games of Vietnam have different characteristics, meanings and rules. The element is held as part of village festivals in Spring, a form for communities to pray for abundant harvests and prosperity, marking the start of a new agricultural cycle. Tugging game symbolizes the power of natural forces like the sun, water source that influence the harvests. In some localities, tugging game is associated with the legends of worshiped heroes for their merit in reclaiming the land, fighting against foreign invaders, protecting prosperous life of the people. It is usually held at the communal houses or temples after the rirual of commemoration of local guardian deities finished. The material used for tugging varies from region to region, reflecting the ecological and cultural context of each community, it can be made of bamboo, rattan stems, or ropes. The procedure for selecting teams or players is in accordance to the ritual rules, and the winning or losing team is regulated by customs to express certain religious meanings and the harmony of nature. Nowadays, tugging rituals and games are popularly known as a folk game that is entertaining, sporty and collective.

Cambodia,South Korea,Philippines,Viet Nam 2015

Lộng Khê Temple Festival is a major festival in the region, held annually to commemorate the merits of heroes, taking place for 3 days from March 22 to March 24 of the lunar calendar. Lộng Khê Temple in An Khe Commune, Quynh Phu District is the place to worship National Master Khong Minh Khong, who helped local people reclaim land, control water, improve fields, do agriculture, and worship Grand Tutor Ly Thuong Kiet, who recruited village men to participate in the pacification of the Cham, the Tong, and the resistance against foreign invaders to protect the country and the nation. According to annual tradition, every March of the lunar calendar, villagers are busy preparing human resources and materials such as bamboo, wood, and rattan to tie Đình Liệu trees, build bridges, and welcome gates; the Bát Dật, Sênh Tiền, and Kéo Chữ dance teams practice more. The traditional of Lộng Khê Temple Festival consists of two parts: The ceremony includes: the temple opening ceremony, incense offering, the procession of scriptures, the water procession, and the torch procession; The festival includes: Tu Linh dance, Bat Dat dance, Senh Tien dance, pulling letters, Cheo singing; physical activities and sports such as: men's and women's football; Chinese chess, swimming and traditional folk games of the nation. In particular, the Lộng Khê Temple Festival has the custom of carrying torches around the village, burning the Dinh Lieu tree - a giant torch made of dozens of dry bamboo trees, about 16m high, 1.4m at the bottom with the wish to pray for favorable weather and luck, happiness, and prosperity for the villagers; Bat Dat dance - ancient dances of the Royal Court. Lộng Khê village festival has the strong characteristics of an agricultural festival expressing the desire of farmers to be in harmony with heaven and earth, the aspiration to reach a prosperous life. This is a long-standing traditional beauty, preserved by the villagers. The festival demonstrates the traditional morality of "When drinking water, remember its source", reminding people to remember the merits of their ancestors who have contributed to the people and the country. In 2017, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognized the Lộng Khê Temple Traditional Festival as a national intangible cultural heritage.