Hue Festival 2023 opens with re-enactment of Ban Soc ceremony

The festival will span across the whole year with over 50 major and about 100 response activities.

Highlight activities include a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of UNESCO’s recognition of Complex of Hue Monuments as a World Cultural Heritage, the 20th anniversary of Nha Nhac (Vietnam Court Music) as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and Hue Traditional Craft Festival.

Opening the festival was the re-enactment of Ban Soc ceremony by the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre. It was the celebration to officially issue the calendar under the Nguyen Dynasty, held periodically at the end of the lunar year. Because the ancient Vietnamese people heavily relied on agricultural economy, the calendar was of immense significance as it helped the farmers keep track of time for farming activities and beware of weather changes to adapt to disasters and extreme weather conditions.

On the occasion, leaders of the provincial authorities presented flowers and gifts to the first visitors to the complex.