The festival began with a ritual worshipping the guardian deity at the local communal house. A palanquin procession took offerings from the communal house to the Au Co Temple to pray for peace, good weather, prosperity and happiness. The Au Co Temple festival marked the start of festive activities in Phu Tho in spring. The temple was built under the reign of King Le Thanh Tong (15th century) and named a national historical and cultural relic site in 1991. On January 23, 2017, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognised the worship of Mother Au Co at the temple as part of the national intangible cultural heritage.` ==

Tich Dien rice festival 2018 opens

The same day, the annual Tich Dien (ploughing) rice festival took place in Đọi Sơn commune, Duy Tien district, the Red River Delta province of Ha Nam. The festival began in 987 during the Le dynasty when King Le Dai Hanh decided to plough in Doi Son commune, Duy Tien district to wish for bumper crops. The practice then became an annual tradition held through many dynasties before falling into oblivion under the reign of King Khai Dinh of the Nguyen dynasty. It was restored in 2009. Vietnam has about 8,000 festivals each year. Of which, nearly 90 percent are traditional festivals, 6 percent are religious ones and 4 percent are historical ones.-VNA