Huong Pagoda Festival

The beautiful verse describes scenic spot of Huong Pagoda, designated by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage site, which makes one can’t help having the feeling that is one were lost in a world offairies. Huong Son attracts visitors not only with its wonderful landscape, but also with its sense of philosophy embodied inside its splendid caves, of which Huong Tich and Tuyet Son are the most impressive.

Objects of worship: Phat ba Quan Am -Avalokitesvara (Goddess of Mercy)
Time: The 6th day of the first lunar month
Destination: Huong Son Commune, My Duc District, Hanoi City (Ha Tay Province - older)
Characteristics: Buddhist services, sightseeing

Visitors are bewitched by the beauty of thesecases which look half real and half unreal. That explains the reason why thecold weather cannot keep thousands of pilgrims and tourists away from the Huong Pagoda Festival, the nation’s longest and most elaborateannual festival.

Oficially occuring from the 15^th day to the 20^thday of the second lunar month, Huong Pagoda Festival mainly consists of sightseeing trips to pagodas, temples and caves as well as visiting ceremonies to ask favours from Lord Buddha. Situated approximately 60kilometers southwest from Ha Noi, Huong Son boasts quite a few pagodasbuilt in the Posterior Le Dynasty. Annually, a vast number of pilgrimshave been flocking to the northern province of Ha Noi’s My Duc Districtfor the three-month Huong Pagoda Festival, enjoying the beauty of the Huong Son limestone mountains at a time when apricot trees are in bloomand pay tribute to Buddha, specifically to Avalokitasvara, one ofBuddha's disciples.

 

Legend has it that the festival is held to worship a princess named Dieu Thienwho incarnated Avalokitasvara and attained enlightenment there. As theprincess was born on the 19th day of the second lunar month, that dateis now observed by all Vietnamese Buddhists as a saint day. The shrine in which she practised her religion was discovered in the 15th century by three monks. The pilgrimage to Huong Son dwindled to a trickleduring the war years and the temples and shrines were left vacant..In 1770, Lord Trinh Sam wrote five Chinese characters to describe Huong Tich Cavern: Nam Thien De Nhat Dong (the most beautiful cave in Vietnam). The Huong Pagoda Festival started during the Le-Trinh c                                                            Dynasty. In 1958, after the restoration of peace in North Vietnam, the Government and President Ho Chi Minh personally gave instructions for the repair of the pagodas and temples and there storation of the festival. Annually, visitors to the festivalto enjoy the beauty of the Huong Son limestone mountains at a time when apricot trees are in bloom and pay tribute to Buddha, specifically to Avalokitasvara, one of Buddha's disciples.

Accordingto the legend, a pilgrimage to Huong Pagoda in the spring will brin ghealth, prosperity, good luck and happiness. And whether you believe inthe story or not, there's no disputing that a trip like this offers aperfect chance to get closer to both nature and Vietnamese tradition.