Traditional colors in spring folk games in An Lam

Arriving at An Lam on the morning of the second day of Tet, the sound of drums and music was bustling from the cultural houses of the villages. Following the bustling sounds, we saw many people gathering to play folk games very enthusiastically. For many years now, every year the villages in An Lam commune have organized folk games during Tet. Particularly on the morning of the second day of Tet, Cam Ly and Bach Da villages organized many games, An Luong village organized longevity celebrations, and in the afternoon, there were art performances...

Arriving at the front yard of the Cam Ly village cultural house, the festival started with the pot-breaking game. The playground became more and more crowded, the sound of drums and loudspeakers attracted and invited many villagers to come out to the spring festival.

Each person who registered to smash the pot paid 10,000 VND/turn, if they broke the pot according to the rules, they would get 20,000 VND/turn. The number of people who broke the pot and got the prize money was small, but everyone wanted to try this game once. Some people even signed up to play with their children. The spectators were also excited and thrilled with endless laughter. When one person broke the pot, the whole village cheered, enthusiastically repeating the instructions "move left", "move right a little more", "move forward", "move back", then together held their breath waiting to see if the pot would break. Just like that, on the first day of spring, everyone laughed happily.

Both in the role of Organizing Committee and trying his hand at the pot-breaking game, Mr. Nguyen Tuan Hai, Party Cell Secretary and Head of Cam Ly Village, is excited because the folk game during Tet is attracting more and more villagers to participate.

"All day on the second day of Tet, the village organized many folk games such as pot smashing, tug of war, sack jumping, ball throwing... This is a beautiful traditional feature of the village in early spring to create excitement and solidarity among the people," Mr. Hai happily said.

True to that spirit, the folk games in early spring here are mainly for fun, not important to win or lose, just need a lot of laughter. In the tug of war game, the village does not have a strict rule on the number of people that men can pull with women, the elderly can pull with children, as long as it is not too different. People wearing high heels and ao dai also contribute. Anyone who participates will get lucky money to bring home. The lucky money is not worth much but everyone is happy.

Ms. Dang Thi Hang in Cam Ly village just watched the competition, still holding her phone to video call her husband who couldn't come out to watch and feel the exciting atmosphere. "Playing folk games in the early spring in the village is so much fun. This year my husband can't come out so I called him to watch online to ease my longing," Ms. Hang shared.

At the Bach Da village cultural house on the morning of the second day of Tet, the two volleyball courts started their matches early. Volleyball has long been a favorite sport in the village. Continuing the tradition of organizing games during Tet, volleyball was chosen to compete on the morning of the second day. The volleyball clubs in the village were very excited. Next, the village organized a soccer competition and many other folk games.

In An Luong village, people were excited to celebrate the longevity of the elderly and play traditional games. From afar, we saw Mr. Mac Duc Tang, Party Secretary and Head of An Luong village, wearing a more formal suit than usual. Mr. Tang was busy preparing but his face was still smiling brightly.

"Organizing longevity celebrations and folk games has long been a cultural tradition in the village. This year, people are even more excited when the commune meets the standards of a model new rural area. The dry and warm weather on the second day of Tet is also favorable for cultural and sports activities," said Mr. Tang.

Playing folk games on Tet holiday has been preserved in An Lam commune for many generations as a unique cultural beauty that not many places have. Through these games, villagers become more united and harmonious. The hearty laughter on the first day of spring also brings hope for a new year with favorable weather, favorable labor and production, bringing prosperity to every family.