Mid-Autumn Festival has long been one of the most important festivals in the spiritual life of Vietnamese people. Not only is it associated with the custom of worshipping ancestors, carrying lanterns, and breaking cakes, but since the Ly Dynasty, this has also been a major festival solemnly held in the capital city of Thang Long, leaving a deep mark in history.
The program “Happy Mid-Autumn Festival 2025” at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel Heritage Site this year has many rich activities. The highlight of the program is the exhibition space with two themes: “Traditional Mid-Autumn Festival” and “Mid-Autumn Festival of the Ly Dynasty”.
In the first theme, visitors are immersed in childhood memories through familiar folk toys such as lion drums, rattles, papier-mâché masks, star lanterns, paper lanterns, paper doctors, moon-watching stick-playing men, etc. In particular, many lost ancient lamp models are restored from photographic materials of the Quai Branly Museum and the French School of the Far East. The wind paper and cellophane lanterns painted with vivid colors such as rabbit lanterns, shrimp and fish lanterns, drum lanterns, double lanterns, etc. help the audience visualize more clearly the beauty of the ancient Mid-Autumn Festival.
The second theme brings a new perspective when recreating for the first time the space of the royal Mid-Autumn Festival in the 11th-12th centuries. The system of panels, paintings and replicas vividly depicts boat racing, water puppetry, and royal banquets under the reign of King Ly Nhan Tong. The highlight is the image of "Kim Ngao" - a mascot with a turtle body and a dragon head, carrying three fairy mountains on its back - symbolizing the country's desire for peace and prosperity. The display space is made more sparkling by dozens of traditional lanterns such as carp-turned-dragon lanterns, unicorn lanterns, dragon-phoenix lanterns, peach-pomegranate-Buddha-hand lanterns... meticulously restored by artisans.
In addition to the exhibition, the program also creates many attractive highlights for visitors to freely "check-in": a colorful flower-lit gate, a funny tray wall, a cluster of goldfish playing with the moon in a lotus pond, a magical, shimmering street of lights... These decorative corners evoke both the traditional Mid-Autumn atmosphere and a modern feel, meeting the public's need to experience and capture moments.
Not only the visual part, “Happy Mid-Autumn Festival 2025” also brings many artistic activities and experiences. On October 4 and 5, visitors will enjoy the bustling lion dance at Kinh Thien Palace, with the morning time slots of 10:00, 11:00 and afternoon 15:30, 16:30. This is an indispensable activity, bringing a vibrant and bustling atmosphere to the festival.
In particular, children can also directly participate in making Mid-Autumn Festival toys such as lanterns, butterfly lanterns, star lanterns, painting papier-mâché masks, making paper kites... The experiential activities take place in the morning from 8:30 to 11:30 and in the afternoon from 14:30 to 17:30, promising to bring children complete joy while learning and creating.
The program “Happy Mid-Autumn Festival 2025” not only recreates the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival memories, but also contributes to introducing to domestic and foreign tourists the royal cultural values, connecting heritage with the community. Thereby, the young generation can access and appreciate more the cultural beauty left by their ancestors, while affirming the sustainable vitality of the Mid-Autumn Festival in modern life.
Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/trung-bay-nhieu-mau-den-trung-thu-co-tai-hoang-thanh-thang-long-717426.html
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