Tro Tram Festival kicks off

People from all around flocked to Tu Xa commune, Lam Thao district, to celebrate the Tro Tram festival, also known as “Linh tinh tinh phoc” on February 20 and 21 (lunar January 11 and 12). This is the most distinctive celebration, honoring the Vietnamese people’s traditional fertility traditions.

The event is divided into three segments, and thousands of locals and foreigners have attended since its inception.

Traditional performance events commence at 10:00 p.m. on January 11. People dressed in colorful traditional costumes performed the “tu dan chi nghiep” dance, commonly known as “Bach nghe trinh lang”.

This is a sort of traditional folk performance that portrays occupations in ancient civilization in a rustic manner, such as scholars, farmers, workers, and traders. The “amateur” performers execute plow, plant, fish, bet, silk weaving, cotton bending, carpentry, spring buying and selling, teaching, and so on in vivid and appealing detail.

Performing the “Tu Dan Chi Nghiep” is one of the Tro Tram Festival’s distinctive features, bringing a lot of amusement to both locals and visitors.

On January 11, at 11 p.m., the village elders will begin their rituals. Unlike the last festival, which had a boisterous atmosphere, this event was serious, reverent, and followed tradition.

The Secret rituals, which serves as the heart and soul of the Tro Tram Festival, begins at 12:00 midnight.

On the morning of the 12th lunar day, the villagers would organize a “Ruoc lua than” ceremony to pray for good weather and crops. The rice blossoms collected from the previous crop and worshiped in the temple are taken out and transported to Xa Loc temple to worship General Phung Lan Ho of the Tran dynasty, after which they are carried throughout the hamlet.

While bringing rice around the local streets, performers continue to perform at Tro temple to create a joyful scene. The celebration concludes with a final worshiping service at Tro temple.

Tro Tram Festival is a spiritual and cultural celebration of the ancient Vietnamese people. This is Phu Tho province’s traditional folk festival, which has been designated a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Thuy Trang