It has become a tradition that every year on the 6th of January, Bai Dinh Pagoda (Gia Sinh Commune, Gia Vien District, Ninh Binh Province) welcomes thousands of monks, nuns, Buddhists and tourists from all over the world to come to the festival, worship Buddha, and pray for a new year of prosperity, national peace and prosperity, and favorable weather.
This year's Bai Dinh Pagoda Festival is held with the theme "Thousand years of Bai Dinh's return", including 2 parts: The ceremony includes rituals such as offering incense to pray for national peace and prosperity, offering alms, commemorating the merits of National Master Nguyen Minh Khong, Cao Son God worship ceremony and worshiping the Holy Mother of the Upper Realm; the festival part includes rituals such as carrying the palanquin to worship Cao Son God, Saint Nguyen, and the Holy Mother of the Upper Realm, carrying the palanquin to the ancient pagoda and a welcoming art program.
Bai Dinh Pagoda has a thousand-year history with an area of nearly 1,900 hectares, and is one of the famous landmarks of the ancient capital of Hoa Lu, Ninh Binh. Legend has it that this is where King Dinh Tien Hoang set up an altar to worship the sky in early spring every year to pray for national peace and prosperity, favorable weather, and bountiful harvests. It is also the place where King Quang Trung chose to perform the flag-raising ceremony and encourage his soldiers before marching to Thang Long to defeat the Qing army.
To promote the ethical and cultural values of Buddhism, to build a peaceful and happy life for humanity, as well as to show gratitude to the ancestors who have contributed to building the country, Bai Dinh landscape has been expanded and embellished to symbolize cultural and ethical values, to concentrate the intellectual and creative quintessence of workers and to create a spiritual and religious center, to propagate the Dharma and save lives...
Bai Dinh Spring Festival is a typical festival of the North, blending the beauty of Buddhism and Vietnamese folk traditions. Bai Dinh Pagoda Festival officially opens on the 6th of January and lasts until the end of the 3rd lunar month every year.
