Chairman of the Provincial People's Council Nguyen Viet Oanh (far right) and Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Pham Hoang Son (second from the right) present the title of National Intangible Cultural Heritage to the traditional festival - Lim Festival - to the leaders of Tien Du commune and Lien Bao commune.

Attending were Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People's Council Nguyen Viet Oanh; Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Pham Hoang Son; Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Mai Son; Venerable Thich Duc Thien, Vice Chairman and General Secretary of the Central Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha; members of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Council, the Provincial People's Committee, the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee, and the Provincial National Assembly Delegation; leaders of departments, agencies, and localities; and a large number of people and tourists from all over.

In his opening remarks, Chairman of the People's Committee of Tien Du commune Nguyen Minh Khoa said that the traditional Lim Festival had long become a typical cultural symbol of the Kinh Bac region - a land of spiritual significance and outstanding people, where the finest values of national culture converged and were crystallized. The festival was a place to preserve and spread precious heritage, especially Bac Ninh Quan Ho folk songs - a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity honored by UNESCO.

Chairman of the Provincial People's Council Nguyen Viet Oanh (second from the right) along with other provincial leaders and delegates attend the ceremony.

According to historical sources, in the 18^th century, the Lim Festival developed into a large-scale festival, reaching the level of a district-level festival – the former Noi Due district. The key figures in modernizing the festival were General Nguyen Dinh Dien and Bodhi-ni (commonly known as "Mu A"), who transformed it from a district-level blessing festival on the 15^th day of the eighth lunar month to a temple and village festival held in early spring – on the 13^th day of the first lunar month.

The ancient Lim Festival was held every three years in early spring on the 13^th day of the first lunar month. Through the vicissitudes of history, the Lim Festival had preserved its unique community cultural space, a place where religious values, customs, and folk performing arts converged. Nowadays, the festival was held annually on the 12^th and 13^th days of the first lunar month on Lim Hill.

Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Pham Hoang Son (far left); Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Mai Son (third from the left) and other delegates attend the ceremony.

On the sacred Lim Hill, during each festival season, traditional rituals were held solemnly and respectfully, expressing gratitude to ancestors; the smooth and profound Quan Ho melodies resonated from the male and female singers, connecting the past with the present, connecting people with people through loyalty and unwavering devotion. The Lim Festival was a vibrant space for preserving heritage, not only a cultural gathering place, but also a symbol of the identity, character, and soul of the Kinh Bac people.

Speaking at the ceremony, Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Mai Son congratulated the traditional festival – the Lim Festival – on receiving the title of National Intangible Cultural Heritage, and especially expressed his gratitude to the generations of artisans, the "keepers of the soul" of the festival – those having silently and persistently preserved each song, each ritual, and each custom through the years. He emphasized that this was not only a joy and pride for the Party Committee, government, and people of Tien Du and Lien Bao communes, but also a shared honor for Bac Ninh province - the Kinh Bac region with a thousand years of cultural heritage, a place where the unique cultural values of the Vietnamese nation converged and spread.

“The State’s decision to inscribe the traditional Lim Festival into the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage is a well-deserved recognition of the unique historical, cultural, artistic, and community values of the festival; and at the same time affirms the enduring vitality of a heritage nurtured by the people,” emphasized Mai Son, Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee.

Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Mai Son speaks at the ceremony.

Besides the honor, Mr. Mai Son also pointed out that heritage only truly lived on when it was cherished, practiced, and passed on by the community with all pride and a sense of preservation. He suggested that the locality continue to strictly implement the legal regulations on protecting and promoting the value of heritage; strengthen propaganda and education, especially for the younger generation. Along with that, it was necessary to link preservation with sustainable development; organize the festival in a solemn, civilized, and economical manner, promoting the value of heritage in conjunction with the development of cultural tourism, improving the material and spiritual lives of the people, especially the artisans – the creative subjects of the heritage.

The Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee expressed confidence that with the concerted efforts of all levels, sectors, and the people, the Lim Festival would continue to resonate with sweet melodies of courtship, forever remaining a representative cultural symbol of the Kinh Bac region with a thousand years of cultural heritage.

Chairman of People's Committee of Tien Du commune Nguyen Minh Khoa delivers the opening speech.

The cultural program recreates the history of the traditional Lim Festival, associated with Quan Ho folk singing of Bac Ninh.

A large number of local people and tourists from all over attend the ceremony.

Quan Ho folksong

Historical - Cultural Relics

Traditional Festival

Traditional handicraft village

Cuisine

Restaurant – Hotel