SF - Fisher people's festival

Fishersmen ceremony in Quảng Nam - Đà NẵngPhoto: T.V

The event takes place every 3 years in the central part and it lasts 3 days (normally from mid-January to March lunar). It's both ceremony and festival. The eventful ritual is opened at midnight to wish for best luck and safety and to memorize the dead. At about 5 am, it's fishermen ceremony (on land and in the water).

Most exciting is boat-race of the fishing villages and it starts with solemn ceremony competitors show their talents in opening event (4 phases), and each phase with a card to pray for good luck and good weather, good crop.

In fishing village Thuận An (Thừa Thiên – Huế), there's a ceremony of spreading fishing-net that relive the customs of the fishing villages. Firstly, the oldest man is respected to pray for a prosperous year by land Gods, sea Gods… After a round of drumbeat, he drops coins and worship objects on the ground and the children try to take it as gook luck. They are disguised as fish, shrimps… then fishermen bring in a sedan chair with a man on. He spreads the fishing net on the children, the player narrow the round until the children are surrounded.

Children are considered as fish trying to escape, then the fishermen catch the fish. Nice fish are placed nearby the altar, the rest are put "on sales"- everything goes on as well as in real life.

In Quảng Nam - Đà Nẵng, festivals take place normally in lunar mid-March, the locals worship the "Mr Fish" on the Dolphin and also start the fishing season. Fishing boats from all corners gather here. In families, altars are decorated with worship-objects and the ceremony opens on the procession to the open-sea accompanied by performances of folklores and classic opera or tuồng.

Fishing villages in Phú Yên - where almost people earn their living by fishing, the festivals are organized in lunar March when the new fishing season begins to pay their tribute to the forefathers and ancestors to worship "cá ông or the Dolphin", to pray for good and lucky year. The ceremony is held in the village temple with worship offerings, worship speeches, and performances while the festival means games and sports, eating and drinking.