Keo Hanh Thien Pagoda Festival

Keo Hanh Thien Pagoda Festival is held on the full moon day of the 9th lunar month every year, in Hanh Thien village, Xuan Hong commune, Xuan Truong district. The festival includes: Incense offering ceremony, praying, chanting, dragon dancing, boat racing on the Red River. Objects of worship: Buddha and Zen master Khong Lo, who was good at healing and also good at poetry, the founder of bronze casting, a talented architect who contributed to the king and the country.

Every year, there are two festivals held at the temple. That is the Spring Festival on the occasion of Lunar New Year and the September festival opens on the 13th, 14th, and 15th to commemorate the birth of the saint Khong Lo. The Spring Festival includes duck catching games, firecracker throwing competitions, rice cooking competitions and other forms of folk music. The September Festival is solemnly organized. In addition to religious rituals, the September Festival is also a gathering place for cultural and spiritual activities of agricultural residents. That's why, on the day of the festival, people not only in the region but also in the South and the North are excited to gather together: Even though my father beat my mother and hung me, I will not miss the festival at Keo Pagoda on the full moon day. Especially here it is usually held from September 10 until the end of the festival. Images of young men wearing loincloths, wearing short, sleeveless shirts, heads covered with healthy, solid-colored scarves, rushing on dozens of brushes in the middle of the river amid the rushing sound and cheers of tens of thousands of people. , is engraved in the hearts of those attending the Keo festival. In addition to worshiping Buddha, the pagoda also worships Duong Khong Lo, a poet of the Ly - Tran dynasties, a poet with profound education in Buddhism, and a symbol of cultural creativity. After the solemn ceremonies, the rowing performance was most warmly received by everyone. The most unique thing in the festival is the boat racing: there are 15 hamlets in the village participating in the boat race or called swimming, with a total of 10 people on the boat, including 1 boat driver. Swimming at Keo Hanh Thien Pagoda in Nam Dinh is different from other places, they do not sit and swim but 10 people stand to row. Start in the village river about 5-6km then start going to Ninh Co river branch of the Red River, swim 3.5 laps of the river and then return to catch Teu in the con river. Whichever team comes first will win the first prize. On average, each swimming competition takes place from 3.5 to 4 hours. This is a wonderful traditional sport that deserves to be remembered and saved in the history books of our Nation.