Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vice Chairman of My Duc District People’s Committee and Head of the Organization Board of Huong Pagoda Festival 2020 Nguyen Van Hau said that in recent years, Huong Pagoda welcomed an annual average of more than 1 million visitors. The hosting of festivals has shown progress. With the 2020 theme of “Festivals with Disciplines – Civilized Tourism”, the Festival Organizing Committee gathered forces to ensure security and order for the festival.
Delegates attended the opening ceremony of Huong Pagoda Festival 2020.
Up to the time of this article, the subcommittees have coordinated smoothly, contributing to eliminating the negative and offensive behavior taking place in the festival space. In particular, the security and order force, with more than 164 members divided into 15 groups, have taken turns to guard 24/24 at important intersections and areas with a great number of tourists visiting to offer incense and go sightseeing during the three months of spring (from the first to the third lunar month). Those intentionally going after tourists; causing thieves, pickpockets, frauds, public disorder; performing superstitious activities at the festival, etc. will be strictly punished.
As the festival began when the Covid-19 pandemic evolved unpredictably, the festival organizers recommend that tourists follow the instructions given by functional forces and have a sense of preserving the environment.
Accordingly, Huong Pagoda Festival organizers strictly forbade motorboats operating on Yen stream. Functional forces strengthened the examining, strictly handled violations, and prevented social evils. All business owners and service households were committed to ensuring environmental sanitation, food safety, fire and explosion prevention, public listing of prices and phone numbers, no soliciting or going after tourists, etc.
This year, My Duc district also forbade strictly the establishment of business booths within the inner space of the pagodas, caves, narrow roads, or unsafe abysses, and the advertisement and provision of wildlife food catering services. On the banks of Yen stream were several signboards advocating and guiding tourists to practice civilized behavior in places of worship, as well as boards showing the hotline number of the Huong Pagoda Festival Organizing Committee for tourists to report on any issues.
Some cultural performances with great traditional value at the opening ceremony.
Officers were assigned to the relic sites (Trinh temple, Thien Tru pagoda, Long Van pagoda, Bao Dai pagoda, etc.) to remind tourists to practice civilized behavior in the festive space, not to litter, burn votives at the right places, and not offer non-vegetarian dishes to the altar. Monks, Buddhists, volunteers, the pagoda keepers, and the organizers joined forces to clean up, helping preserve the sanctuary space.
Business activities in the inner space of the pagodas, caves, narrow roads, or unsafe abysses sustainably ceased to exist. Permitted business booths were all located in safe places, with food storage cabinets in proper areas. Fresh animal meat was not seen.
From January 25 to 27 (i.e. from the 1st to the 3rd of the first month of the lunar year 2020), the organizers punished more than 30 passenger boats using electric motors or carrying too many passengers, and disposing on-the-spot of more than 300 toys of violent nature. The inspection and supervision force assigned at the stream as well as other areas in the scenic site were continuously strengthened to promptly remind tourists and handle violations. Up to the time of this article, no selling of illegal tapes/discs/books, no charged pence exchange activities, and no gambling and superstition services were seen at the Huong Pagoda relic site.
In the four most important days of Tet from January 25 to 28 (i.e. from the 1st to the 4th of the first month of the lunar year 2020), the relic site welcomed more than tens of thousands of tourists. Particularly on January 27 (the 3rd of the first month of the lunar year 2020), the number of visitors to Huong Pagoda reached 44,000; it reached nearly 30,000 on January 28 (the 4th day) and over 50,000 on January 29 (the 5th day). Today, the official opening day, Huong Pagoda was expected to welcome more than 50,000 visitors. For the whole festival season, the organizers expected to welcome 1.5 million visitors.
Tung Anh