Do Gian Festival

Every four years, on the sixteenth and seventeenth of the seventh lunar month, the land of An Thai (in An Nhon town, Binh Dinh province) joyfully conducts Do Gian Festival. This is a traditional martial arts cultural festival. Check read the article to discover more about this unique celebration.

Introduction to the Do Gian Festival

Do gian (Đổ giàn) is a one-of-a-kind cultural celebration of Binh Dinh's martial land, organized by a number of Chinese families. Previously, the festival was held at Ngu Bang Hoi Quan Pagoda in An Thai village, Nhon Phuc commune, An Nhon town from the full moon to the 16th and 17th of the seventh lunar month (every four years)

An introduction to An Thai village

An Thai (in the commune of Nhon Phuc, An Nhon) is a place along the Con River that was historically known as one of the cradles of Binh Dinh martial arts. We crossed An Vinh (in Tay Son district) after only a few minutes by boat from this side, which is likewise known for martial arts. The Chinese "anti-Thanh and Minh" flowed to this riverfront region on that day to live and mingle with the Vietnamese people, enriching the cultural life, including martial arts, here.

Do Gian Festival

Exciting activities in the Do Gian Festival

Do Gian Festival was initiated by a number of Chinese families. Ngu Bang Hoi Quan Pagoda is the place where the Do Gian Festival takes place, from the 15th to the 17th day of the 7th lunar month, held once every 4 years. Truss is an altar about ten meters high, made of bamboo and wood. On it is placed an altar of worship including incense, flowers, tea, fruit and a roasted pig. When the ceremony was about to end, the teams of martial artists and healthy people representing the villages entered, ready to jump up, carry the pig and then… ran. "Trigger" - when the celebrant shouts, the competition begins. Highly talented boxers, jumping on the platform to try and grab the roast pig. 

Then you have to wiggle out of the crowd and carry the pig back to the assigned safe location. To snare the pig, the competition teams had to assign people first, people behind, defenders, and "stoppers" to prevent other dangerous opponents from snatching it back. According to the belief, the fighter who returns the pig first will be regarded lucky for the entire community that year.

Do Gian Festival

According to custom, the pig that spins the spoils will be split up to share with all the boxers present in the competition. The martial artists, or the martial arts village who have won the victory, are welcomed and respected by everyone, and they believe that that year they will be lucky because they will be "lucky". Usually the martial arts furnaces in An Thai and An Vinh often win. Hence the sentence:

“Rumors of An Thai, Binh Khe

Many martial artists have the profession of catching pigs.”

Pouring the wine is regarded to be the most happy and meaningful part of the festival. However, there are numerous intriguing things to do before and after the event. Before the day of truss pouring, all pagodas hold a fasting ritual, a procession of tablets, a procession of holy water, and a ceremony of poor diagnosis. Among them, the procession of holy water must be mentioned as the most significant. On the first day of the event, about 2:00 a.m., the procession will go to the Kon River, take a jar of water upstream, and place sacred water on the procession. At this time, on both sides of the road, every house hangs splendid flower flags, sets up incense tables with offerings full of trays. And after the ceremony, people began to participate in the festival, which is the space of unique lion dance performances, martial arts performances of Binh Dinh, restaurants selling food only in this country... And the ceremony to release birds and fish is the last activity to end the ceremony.

Do Gian Festival

Do Gian Festival is a unique cultural characteristic of a countryside steeped in martial spirit, as well as an intriguing and appealing competition. There are many additional exciting activities over the festival days. The event, according to the old in An Thai, is always accompanied by boi singing, releasing birth, lion dance... Every house in An Thai hung lights with flowers, drums, and flags were open day and night back then. A common proverb in Binh Dinh still describes the rig assembly:

“Rumor has it that An Thai, Ba temple

Being vegetarian, singing boi is too crowded

Women cheering men,

Wait until now, look again the truss.”

Because it has been around for over 6 decades, today's Do Gian Festival in An Nhon, Binh Dinh is gaining an increasing number of people's attention. This cultural celebration has nearly entirely vanished. Fortunately, the festival has been restored and flourished as vigorously as it was in the early days, signifying the powerful martial spirit in Binh Dinh's martial arts area. Because of this resurrection, today's travelers who take a tour to Binh Dinh on the right time will have the opportunity to learn about a once-forgotten celebration. This festival is now conducted every five years and has been reinstated on a regular basis. That is good news for those who love the martial arts land of Binh Dinh, so that on the full moon of July, they will "return to the rig".

Do Gian Festival

Besides participating in the jubilant atmosphere of the moment of pouring the rig, witnessing the famous right-of-way of Binh Dinh, coming to Binh Dinh tourism, you also have the opportunity to explore many famous scenic spots such as Banh It Tower, Ky Co Beach, Eo Gio or Ghenh Rang Tien Xa... Book a Binh Dinh tour with us to explore this special land together.

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