The Keo pagoda’s autumn festival 2019 in Duy Nhat commune of Thai Binh province’s Vu Thu district kicked off on October 8.
The pagoda worships Zen Buddhist monk Không Lộ (1016-1094) who successfully cured a king of the Lý dynasty and then was ordained as the national Buddhist monk.
In addition to traditional worshipping rituals dedicating the Buddhist monk, the festival this year also hosts a variety of cultural activities that reflect the lifestyle of the Red River Delta’s agricultural communities, including swimming competition, procession, catching frogs, launching fish nets, cooking rice, catching ducks, beating clay pots, etc.
The pagoda’s autumn festival takes place annually in five days from the 10th to the 15th of the ninth lunar month.
Keo pagoda originally built during the Ly dynasty and reconstructed in 1632 is an ancient building with 128 rooms. The 58,000m2 pagoda is home to a wealth of ancient artefacts, which range from intricately engraved wooden dragons to a collection of over 100 statues.
The most typical architecture of the pagoda is the 11.04m high wooden bell tower with three storeys, each of which possesses its own tiled roof and bronze bell.
The festival has been recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage since 2017.
NL (nhandan.com.vn)
