East meets West at Phat Diem Rock Church

Time races by in our busy city lifestyles and visiting historic sites in the countryside is often something we never get around to.
I had wanted to visit Phat Diem Rock Church for a long time, and on one especially sunny afternoon, I finally took a bus going down National Road 10 headed towards the church.
From Ninh Binh Town, I traveled 28 kilometers, passing emerald rice paddies and other beautiful countryside scenery before reaching my destination.
The Phat Diem Rock Church complex covers an area of 22 hectares in Phat Diem Town, Kim Son District, in the northern province of Ninh Binh.
The Phat Diem church is referred to as the Rock Church because it is built entirely of rock. It took 24 years (1875-1899) to complete this architectural marvel. Father Tran Luc, who designed and supervised the construction, is laid to rest in a tomb in the front yard of the church, in the Phuong Dinh Building.
Over 112 years old, the Phat Diem Rock Church complex boasts a unique mix of Western and Eastern architectural styles, with many of the buildings reminiscent of Buddhist pagodas. There are no Western-style stained-glass windows, common to many churches in Vietnam.
Like most other visitors to the complex, I first stopped at a pond in front of the main church. This pond is in keeping with the traditional Eastern style, which often includes a body of water in front of the main structure.
The church gate is always open, allowing visitors to take a leisurely walk around the complex at any time. Each structure in the complex has its own unique architectural features, making for a fascinating stroll.
At the Phuong Dinh Building, there are two staircases leading to the bell tower of the church. I was free to climb the tower to witness the ringing of the bell. It is said that the bell can be heard from a dozen kilometers away.
Walking past Phuong Dinh, I came to the main chapel, which was built in 1891. It has five doors made of rock displaying elaborate carvings in high-relief. The main church is 74 meters long, 21 meters wide and 15 meters tall. There are six rows of ironwood columns. Those in the middle two rows are 11 meters tall, have a circumference of 2.35 meters and weigh seven tons.
The side doors are always open, so visitors are free to take pictures whenever they like. The wooden columns, beams and benches create a quiet, peaceful atmosphere.
Another notable structure in the complex is the Mother’s Heart Church built in 1883, that has a length of 15.3 meters, a width of 8.5 meters and a height of six meters. The other structures in the complex are the Saint Rocco, Saint Giuse and Saint Pero churches.
It was easy for me to enjoy the stress-free atmosphere of the complex, especially on the carpet of grass in front of the Phuong Dinh Building, where visitors can relax and take pictures.
There is a souvenir shop on the small road to the left of the church. In addition to Christian-themed gifts, visitors can also find other items like hats, bamboo souvenirs and candy.
I had a chat with the owner of a shop across from the church who moved there from Hanoi about five years ago. He said there are many churches in the district, usually one in every neighborhood. He said at one time almost all the local residents were catholic, but now only about 75 percent are.
A free guide service is available and visitors are allowed to visit the church at any time, even during mass.
By Khue Viet Truong, Thanh Nien News (The story can be found in the August 19th issue of our print edition, Thanh Nien Weekly)

Art competition on ethnic minority groups launched

A fine arts and photography competition entitled ‘Ethnic Minorities in the South 2011’ was launched by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The contest is open to professional and amateur artists and photographers who can send works created since 2007 to the Ethnic Culture Department at 51 Ngo Quyen Street in Hanoi starting from September 1.

The entries should depict the daily life, traditions, customs and solidarity of ethnic minorities in the region, as well as their economic development and the preservation of traditional cultures.

One A, two B, three C and five consolation prizes will be presented at an awards ceremony and exhibition to be held in An Giang province on December.

(Source: Nhan Dan)

Vietnam’s cultural week to take place in Laos

The Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism (MICT) of Laos and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) of Vietnam will jointly host “ Vietnam ’s Cultural Week in Laos ” from August 30 to September 4, in Vientiane.

Boungeun Sapouvong, Deputy Minister of MICT, said at an August 24 press briefing in Vientiane that the event aims to implement a cooperative plan in culture and artistry between the two ministries.

A 40-member delegation led by Minister of MCST Hoang Tuan Anh will attend the event.

During the event, arts programmes, including special song and dance items and circus acts, will be performed by artists from Vietnam National Academy of Music, Vietnam Dance College and Vietnam Circus Federation.

An exhibition themed, “Vietnam Beauty”, displaying special handicraft and fine arts products and well-known photos on Vietnam ’s landscapes, culture, country and people and national characters will be also held in the framework of the event.

The event is expected to contribute to strengthening and promoting the special friendship and solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries./.

Various activities to celebrate Kate festival 2011

BTO - People’s Committee of Binh Thuan province has approved the organization plan for Kate festival 2011 in Poshainu tower (Phan Thiet city). This festival is aimed at introducing and promoting precious traditional cultures of the Cham ethnic group, as well as contribute to better support tourism development of the locality.

A traditional dance of the Cham people at the Kate Festival at Po Sah Inu Tower in Phan Thiet City - Photo: Khai Nguyen

Kate festival includes various cultural activities and traditional sports intermingling with traditional ceremonies which will be connected with each other properly in order to create features of the festival such as tong on ceremony, Goddess Poshainu’s costume procession, art performances, culinary competitions, performances of brocade weaving and pottery by handmade method, as well as traditional games bearing Cham special characteristics. The Cham priests in Ham Thuan Bac district will directly run Kate festival in accordance with the original ceremonial and traditional customs of Cham community. The festival will take place in 3 days (from September 24^th to 26^th, 2011). Especially, the key activity of Kate festival will be organized on September 25^th (on June 30^th of Cham calendar). Cham priests in Ham Phu, Ham Tri communes and Ma Lam town will perform the ceremonials such as of Goddess Poshainu’s palanquin and costume procession. Religious priests, dance group and Cham folk musical instrumentalists will take part in these procession. Besides rites, there will be competitions of making various cakes by folk methods such as banh tet (cylindrical glutinous rice cake), banh gan tay, banh gung (cakes having ginger taste)... to worship deities at the main tower and peace praying rites in accordance with long standing manners and customs.

On September 26^th (or July 1^st of Cham calendar), a ceremony to welcome Kate festival will take place with the participation of delegates from provincial departments and agencies, as well as tourists and local people. After welcome ceremony, religious priests will conduct the rituals such as Goddess’ costume procession towards Poshainu tower (the main tower),  tower’s doors openning   rite, Linga Yoni altar washing rite, costume dressing rite, great ceremony in front of the main tower (tower A) of Poshainu temples and towers.

In addition, there will be other activities such as performances of Cham traditional brocade weaving and pottery, organizing exhibitions, introduction and sales of Cham products for visitors at Poshainu tower. Depending on the quantity of participants and their needs, the organization board will hold folk games  such as tug of war, pushing stick, blind man’s pot breaking, balancing water on someone’s head to overcome obstacles..... on the campus of Poshainu tower. Moreover, there will be cultural exchanges between Ham Phu, Ham Tri communes and Ma Lam town at the festival. The Cham art group (Theatre of Blue Ocean Music, Dance and Song) will perform the programs of folk music dances and songs to serve delegates, tourists and local people. Visitors will also have opportunities to learn and exchange liturgy, instructions of manipulating the Cham folk products, recipes for various of cakes, instructions of performing the Cham musical instruments such as Ginang drum, Baranung drum and fabulous Saranai horn.

Phuong Lan (Source: Binh Thuan newspaper)