Tra Co Festival is a yearly Tra Co event that takes place from May 30 to June 3 of the lunar calendar in Tra Co hamlet, Mong Cai city. This is a very important celebration because it expresses the people's intentions to heaven and earth, and the gods send the best things to the villages.

History of Tra Co Festival

Tra Co communal house, located in the Nam Tho area, Tra Co ward, Mong Cai city, Quang Ninh province, was formed during the Later Le Dynasty. Experiencing many ups and downs of history, the communal house still stands tall and proud as a landmark of sovereignty, a landmark of Vietnamese culture at the border.

Tra Co communal house is associated with the legend "Tra Co people, Do Son ancestors". This is the place of worship of the 6 fairies who have publicly declared themselves, establishing the ancient land of Tra. Tra Co communal house has undergone many major restoration times, the last restoration was in 2012. The communal house is an ancient structure with sloping roof tiles and four curved corners like a boat turning waves to the sea. This is considered one of the large-scale communal houses and unique architecture of the Northern Delta region.

Tra Co communal house

At the communal house, there are still many valuable artifacts preserved such as 03 bronze incense peaks, 2 cranes riding a turtle's head painted with gold paint, 8 wooden thrones of the Nguyen Dynasty, 12 anointed paper materials,...

Main activities of Tra Co Festival

Tra Co Festival takes place in many traditional festival activities, large-scale, typical for the type of folk festival.

Time to organize Tra Co Festival

Every year, from May 30 to June 3 of the lunar calendar (July 5-8, 2024), the Tra Co people hold a communal house meeting to commemorate the merits of the Emperor. The communal house of Tra Co village is not only a place of spiritual activities but also a unique architectural work, a cultural and spiritual milestone of the people here.

In this traditional festival, unique customs typical for the Red River wet rice civilization are still preserved, with strict regulations on procedures, especially in appointing people to be "the crowd" prepared for the sacrifice that people still respectfully call "Mr. Elephant" (pig).

Tra Co Festival is held every year and has become a distinctive feature of Mong Cai

Activities within the framework of the festival

The festival takes place at the national architectural and artistic monument of the Tra Co communal house and the surrounding areas of the Tra Co tourist area.

Before the main holiday, on the 25th day of the 5th lunar month, there will be a procession of boats from Tra Co to the hometown of Do Son. On the 30th day of the 5th lunar month, the boat from Do Son returns to Tra Co. On the 1st day of the 6th lunar month, the festival begins, starting with the procession of the king to the temple, with the ritual of an army holding weapons, magic flags, wards of bowl sound, and bowl of buu. Next is the flag bearer elected from the end of the previous year's festival with the people carrying the palanquin. 

The palanquin procession on the border sea is a unique feature of Tra Co festival

After the sacrifice, the funeral directors will use a red-painted crib with a sunshade to process "Mr Elephant" who has been washed and lined up in two rows in front of the communal houseyard to worship the god.  "Mr. Elephants" are well cared for by "the crowd" and villagers for many months before joining the festival.

The festival organizers will use a ruler from head to tail to measure each pig's necklace. The pig with the longest body, the biggest necklace, and the most beautiful will win the first prize. Immediately after the judging, the "Elephants" return to normal pigs, and the family can sell them to traders at the gate of the communal house or take them home to kill their relatives. Particularly, "Mr. Elephant" won the first prize, he was kept for sacrifice. In the ceremony tray, in addition to the pig's head, it is indispensable to grab the tail feathers of this "Mr. Elephant". After offering, this feather will be placed at the base of the banyan tree next to the communal house yard.

“Mr. Elephants” are well taken care of to prepare for the Tra Co Festival

The festival also organizes folk games such as net-knitting contests, tug of war, walking on stilts, calligraphy, sack dance,... On the last day of the festival, there was a floral dance item. On this day, people pray to heaven and earth, god to help them catch a lot of fish and shrimp, prosper in trade, raise livestock, grow crops, live a prosperous and happy life.

Tra Co Festival is only one of several unique events in Vietnam. There's no shortage of intriguing activities to experience in this S-shaped stretch of territory, from the bright lantern festival in Hoi An to the thrilling buffalo combat festival in Do Son. So why not book a Vietnam tour and see everything this beautiful nation has to offer?