Unlike big cities such as Hanoi or Saigon, Mid-Autumn Festival in Hoi An usually takes place in 4 days (from August 12th to August 15th of the lunar calendar every year) in a traditional way with a lot of attractive activities.
Hoi An always has a distinct color but on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, when the old town lights up, it is more “bold” the nameless emotions make people just want to exclaim: “Hoi Hoi, just keep like that!”
Lanterns closed the way
Photo: @Linda Polik
If on a regular day, this quiet old town has been lit up with hundreds of colorful lanterns, then on Mid-Autumn Night there are more decorative lanterns than that. Lanterns are hung all the way from the road to the restaurants, from houses to cafés also decorated to make Hoi An old town shimmering like never before.
On mid-autumn night in Hoi An, the old town lights up
early. Hoi An lanterns in mid-autumn night are also much more diverse with all kinds of shapes from round, long, to shuttle. All colors from plain fabric, to delicate patterns. Also on this occasion, you will see many kinds of lanterns, unique as deliberately dedicated to the Mid-Autumn Festival. And of course, it’s indispensable for star-star lanterns made of red eye shadow paper.
Not only lanterns make up the full moon atmosphere of Hoi
Hoi. Along the small streets on the street are small scenes decorated with mid-autumn theme easy to bring all visitors back to childhood with the dearest images such as Cobblestones, trees, full moon, tray …
Special lion dance performances
If Hanoi on the mid-autumn festival people pour out to see lion dance, music, the Mid-Autumn Festival in Hoi An has a distinct tradition. Not only those lion dances, each family is finished with their ingenuity and sophistication but also have unicorn head products with different shapes both for decoration and for sale.
Lion Dance is also considered a “specialty” of Mid-Autumn season in Hoi An. For Hoi An people, they still keep the custom of welcoming unicorns into the house because they see it as a lucky
thing. People also believe that the drums of lion dance will make life more prosperous. Just like that, the streets of Hoi An are even busier on Mid-Autumn Night, the house welcomes Lan, people pour down the street to watch lion dances, and the children play to pick up the lights, run after, grasp the tail to play with Lan … The childhood scenes seem to be forgotten by urban life, it all takes place in the most honest way in Hoi An and only in Hoi An.
Fascinating, engaging folk games
Not only stopping at the barrel drums, the cheering and laughing procession of Lan echoes a sky, mid-autumn night in Hoi An is more bustling than many folk games. At the corner of the junction near Cau Pagoda is a large courtyard that usually takes place exchange activities. Here, visitors to see the full moon festival will experience games from childhood such as blindfolded pots, huts … Especially in mid-autumn, there are also unique and attractive contests such as Tuong singing, Quang dating, lantern making or crafts.
Idyllic moment of dropping the shrine of flowers
It’s exciting, but on mid-autumn night in Hoi An there are also very peaceful and romantic moments, which is the moment of dropping the lights. On mid-autumn night in Hoi An, people often gather on the banks of Thu Bon River to drop lanterns, at which point a whole river becomes shimmering, fanciful in the reflection of lights. And somewhere is the image of old people with their backs, hands and lights touted flowers, contributing a little joy to the distant guests. That’s the image of dad carrying his daughter out mid-autumn festival on his lips is a brilliant smile. That moment gives the outing a feeling of lightness, peace to strange.
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