Vocabulary

Learn New Words FAST with this Lesson’s Vocab Review List

Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.

Or sign up using Facebook
By clicking Join Now, you agree to our Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and to receive our email communications, which you may opt out at any time.
Already a Member?

Lesson Transcript

Hello, and welcome to the Culture Class- Holidays in Vietnam series at VietnamesePod101.com. In this series, we’re exploring the traditions behind Vietnamese holidays and observances. I’m Michael, and you're listening to Season 1, Lesson # 18 - Lim Festival.
The Lim Festival, or hội Lim, is the pagoda festival of Lim Village in Tiên Du, Bắc Ninh. The Lim Festival is considered a unique feature of the Love Duets, or in Vietnamese Quan Họ, cultural area. In this lesson, we will take a closer look at the Lim Festival and the activities with which it’s associated.
Now, before we get into more detail, do you know the answer to this question?
Which region of Vietnam does Bắc Ninh province, where the Lim Festival takes place, belong to?
If you don't already know, you’ll find out a bit later. Keep listening.
The main Festival takes place on lunar January 13 and always consists of two separate parts: the Ceremony, or lễ, and the Festival, or hội. The Ceremony begins on the morning of the 13th with a procession in which numerous local people in traditional costumes participate. On this holiday, there are many famous ceremonies and folk games held, especially the Quan Họ singing, in which female and male singers respond to each other, as sort of a singing challenge.
Although the main Festival takes place on the 13th, the activities start the day before on the 12th. The Festival center is jubilant with Quan Họ singing and folk games. The Lim Festival always plays host to traditional games such as wrestling, pot breaking, human chess, weaving, tug of war, and blind man’s bluff.
Ceremonial singing is the most remarkable, unique characteristic of the Lim Festival. Male and female singers will walk on dragon boats, or thuyền rồng, to sing Quan Họ and serve visitors from many places. This ceremony creates a lively atmosphere for the Lim Festival, with poetry, or thơ, and music, or nhạc, combining to create an unforgettable experience.
During this festival, you can see many of the traditional costumes of the ancient Northern Vietnamese people, including "tứ thân" traditional dresses, flat palm hats, "ba tầm" hats, silk bibs, turbans, and silk dresses.
Now it's time to answer our quiz question!
Which region of Vietnam does Bắc Ninh province, where the Lim Festival takes place, belong to?
Bắc Ninh province belongs to the Red River Delta region and is located in the Northern key economic zone.
So listeners, how was this lesson? Did you learn something interesting?
Have you ever been to these festivals in Vietnam?
Please leave a comment telling us at VietnamesePod101.com, and we’ll see you next time!

Comments

Hide