Dau Festival at Dau Pagoda – Bac Ninh

Dau Pagoda in Bac Ninh

The Festival takes place on the 8th day of the 4th lunar month and is organized by 12 villages of the prefecture. It observes Buddhist rituals with the cult of Fertility (the four Buddhist Goddesses, or Tu Phap: Phap Van representing the Cloud, Phap Vu the Rain, Phap Loi the thunder and Phap Dien the lightning). Selected boys and girls from the canton participate in the procession.

Dau Festival in Bac Ninh
Dau Festival in Bac Ninh

On the morning of the 8th day, statues of Phap Vu, Phap Loi and Phap Dien are brought to Dau pagoda where the seat of their eldest sister, Phap Van, is located. At noon, a staged fight occurs between Phap Van and Phap Vu to rob water. The procession takes the four goddesses to the ancestor’s pagoda (Chua To) which is dedicated to the cult of their mother, Man Nuong. The next morning, after the last homage are paid to Man Nuong, the four goddesses are taken back to their respective temples. Popular entertainment is comprised of stick fighting, a unicorn dance, a disguise dance (tortoise and crane), a drum dance, traditional wrestling, a game of human chess, and fireworks.