The Hoa Lu Festival 2026 is held at the Special National Relic Site of Hoa Lu Ancient Capital (Tay Hoa Lu ward, Ninh Binh province), gathering a series of activities imbued with cultural and historical imprints.
Before the opening ceremony, the temple opening ceremony took place at the Temple of King Dinh Tien Hoang and the Temple of King Le Dai Hanh. The ceremony included offering offerings and solemn worship to commemorate the merits of the predecessors in the cause of building and defending the country, while arousing the spirit of solidarity and aspiration for development.
Besides, the water procession ceremony, one of the important highlights of the festival, was held early. The procession departed from the gate of King Dinh Tien Hoang Temple, passed King Le Dai Hanh Temple, and proceeded to the Hoang Long river wharf.
The special feature of the ritual lies in the river space, where the rituals of worshiping gods and receiving sacred water take place. This activity evokes the legend of the Golden Dragon appearing on the river, helping Dinh Bo Linh overcome dangers in his lifetime.
Legend has it that after ascending the throne as Emperor, to remember his gratitude, every year King Dinh organized a procession of water from the sacred river to worship at Thai Mieu, praying for national peace and prosperity, favorable harvests, and expressing the morality of "When drinking water, remember the source".
The water source is taken from the Hoang Long River and then offered at the Temple of King Dinh Tien Hoang, where rituals such as Moc Duc and Tien Pham take place, to honor the merits of the kings and pray for people's prosperous lives.
The opening ceremony will be held on the evening of April 25th at Dinh Tien Hoang Square, with an art program and a high-altitude fireworks display. After the ceremony part is a series of rich festival activities such as five-fruit tray display contests, wrestling, Chinese chess, volleyball, ornamental creature displays, art photo exhibitions, film screenings and introduction of documents and artifacts about Hoa Lu Capital...
