Festivals must promote humanitarian values, Le Nhu Tien, Vice Chairmanof the National Assembly Commission for Culture, Education, Youth andChildren, told Tien Phong newspaper (Vanguard).
In Vietnam, spring is the time for festivals. What do you think about festivals organised in our country?
Most festivals reflect our nation's fine traditions. The main purposeof these festivals is to improve the people's cultural and spiritualwelfare. That's why the organisers are the people. So in my opinion,government agencies should not organise these festivals.
However, recently negative activities during the festivals have beenreported, such as changing big notes for small notes with expensiveservice charges or superstitious activities. It is high time for localauthorities, particularly provincial People's Committees and departmentsof Culture, Sports and Tourism, to take action to stop these badpractices.
There are about 7,000 traditional festivals inVietnam every year. On average, about 20 festivals are organised a day.Poor management of these festivals will, no doubt, lead to huge wastesof money by the government and society. But what's even more importantis that the festivals have failed to raise the people's awareness aboutthe fine and rich cultural traditions of our forefathers and nation. Itis imperative to stop commercialising the festivals to collect moneyfrom people, particularly the tendency to turn our people's finetraditions into opportunities to make money.
Recently,people have complained that violence and inhuman games were organisedduring many festivals. What's your position on this?
Ritualceremonies of killing big animals or domestic animals, like the pigslaughtering festival in Bac Ninh Province or buffaloslaughtering festival in Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands), are held hereand there. I agree that these ritual ceremonies are traditionalfestivals of the locals. Yet the brutal killing of animals provokesbrutal acts in the mind of the onlookers. For example, in the buffalofighting festival, both the winning and losing buffaloes are slaughteredand their meat becomes a precious and spiritual gift to peopleattending the festival.
We all agree that we should respectour age-old traditional values. Yet they only have significance for acertain time in history. Vietnam is in the process of integrating deeperand wider internationally. So the festivals must be adjusted to besuitable for our times and they must have humanitarian values and helpnurture kindness and love.
It is reported that quite a fewgovernment officials and public servants have used public cars, thestate budget and their office hours to go to festivals. How do yourespond to the report?
These acts are restricted by law. TheParty Secretariat recently gave a warning to Party members and publicservants on violating regulations on the management and organisation offestivals.
An instruction issued by the Party Secretariatprohibits senior government officials, particularly in the centralgovernment, from going to festivals in the name of their offices oragencies unless they are assigned to do so by the authorities. Ofcourse, as citizens they can go to festivals in their free time. This isalso normal practice in other countries.
In your opinion, how should traditional festivals be organised in a proper manner – civilised, thrifty and patriotic?
The first action we should take is restraining the use of the Statebudget in organising festivals. It is imperative that local authoritiestake action to prevent activities abusing historical relic sites, holyplaces and festivals to make money or spread superstition or unhealthygames.
Vietnam is very proud to have many significant andinteresting festivals, like the Giong festival, Yen Tu festival or HuongPagoda festival, which attract tens of thousands of pilgrims everyyear. Going to these festivals, the pilgrims feel proud to be citizensof Vietnam.-VNA
In Vietnam, spring is the time for festivals. What do you think about festivals organised in our country?
Most festivals reflect our nation's fine traditions. The main purposeof these festivals is to improve the people's cultural and spiritualwelfare. That's why the organisers are the people. So in my opinion,government agencies should not organise these festivals.
However, recently negative activities during the festivals have beenreported, such as changing big notes for small notes with expensiveservice charges or superstitious activities. It is high time for localauthorities, particularly provincial People's Committees and departmentsof Culture, Sports and Tourism, to take action to stop these badpractices.
There are about 7,000 traditional festivals inVietnam every year. On average, about 20 festivals are organised a day.Poor management of these festivals will, no doubt, lead to huge wastesof money by the government and society. But what's even more importantis that the festivals have failed to raise the people's awareness aboutthe fine and rich cultural traditions of our forefathers and nation. Itis imperative to stop commercialising the festivals to collect moneyfrom people, particularly the tendency to turn our people's finetraditions into opportunities to make money.
Recently,people have complained that violence and inhuman games were organisedduring many festivals. What's your position on this?
Ritualceremonies of killing big animals or domestic animals, like the pigslaughtering festival in Bac Ninh Province or buffaloslaughtering festival in Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands), are held hereand there. I agree that these ritual ceremonies are traditionalfestivals of the locals. Yet the brutal killing of animals provokesbrutal acts in the mind of the onlookers. For example, in the buffalofighting festival, both the winning and losing buffaloes are slaughteredand their meat becomes a precious and spiritual gift to peopleattending the festival.
We all agree that we should respectour age-old traditional values. Yet they only have significance for acertain time in history. Vietnam is in the process of integrating deeperand wider internationally. So the festivals must be adjusted to besuitable for our times and they must have humanitarian values and helpnurture kindness and love.
It is reported that quite a fewgovernment officials and public servants have used public cars, thestate budget and their office hours to go to festivals. How do yourespond to the report?
These acts are restricted by law. TheParty Secretariat recently gave a warning to Party members and publicservants on violating regulations on the management and organisation offestivals.
An instruction issued by the Party Secretariatprohibits senior government officials, particularly in the centralgovernment, from going to festivals in the name of their offices oragencies unless they are assigned to do so by the authorities. Ofcourse, as citizens they can go to festivals in their free time. This isalso normal practice in other countries.
In your opinion, how should traditional festivals be organised in a proper manner – civilised, thrifty and patriotic?
The first action we should take is restraining the use of the Statebudget in organising festivals. It is imperative that local authoritiestake action to prevent activities abusing historical relic sites, holyplaces and festivals to make money or spread superstition or unhealthygames.
Vietnam is very proud to have many significant andinteresting festivals, like the Giong festival, Yen Tu festival or HuongPagoda festival, which attract tens of thousands of pilgrims everyyear. Going to these festivals, the pilgrims feel proud to be citizensof Vietnam.-VNA
