Lac Long Quan Festival

Lac Long Quan Festival

Six days in late March-early April

This six-day festival, held in the Vietnamese village of Binh Minh, honors the legendary king Lac Long Quan. According to tradition his wife, Au Co, "hatched" (in the sense of laying an egg) 100 people, who ended up populating what is now the Ha Tay Province.
During the festival people celebrate their ancestors with offerings of fruit and flowers paraded by young women accompanied by folk musicians, then elders bestow blessings on the offerings. Although Lac Long Quan and Au Co are the focus of the proceedings, Buddha is also included and considered a special guest.

CONTACTS:
Vietnam National Administration of Tourism
80 Quan Su Rd.
Hanoi, Vietnam
84-4-942-1061; fax: 84-4-826-3956
www.vietnamtourism.com/e_pages/news/index.a

SOURCES:
WildPlanet-1995, p. 405