On the lunar full moon, the townsfolk will celebrate Hoi An's bygone days, reenacting cultural activities và honouring ancestors with offerings khổng lồ shrines and burning incense. The old quarter is pedestrianized (no bicycles or motorized vehicles until 10pm) & fluorescent lights are banned, adding to the old-world charm.)
This is a truly special night where you can wander the old town while it is lit up with lanterns và watch traditional performances, hear musical renditions, poetry recitals or watch as some of the older townsmen play a trò chơi of traditional Chinese chess.
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When is Hoi An Lantern Festival celebrated?
What is Hoi An Lantern Festival?
The Hoi An Lantern Festival is a monthly sự kiện that celebrates the full moon. It is held on the 14th day of each lunar month when the moon is at its fullest and brightest.
The full moon is one of the most sacred times in the Buddhist calendar. It is said that Buddha was not only born on a full moon but attained enlightenment on a full moon. And so for centuries Buddhists have viewed the full moon as an auspicious time of transformation.
Even today people all over Asia view the full moon as a time to meditate, observe rituals, reflect on life, & worship their ancestors. This is done in many ways from offerings made at family shrines to the burning of incense và the lighting of candles. In recent years these traditions have morphed into the popular Hoi An Lantern Festival.
Lanterns are the focus of this event. Lanterns are beautifully lit, and candles are placed at the bottom of the colorful paper lanterns which convey our wish for health và peace. They are placed khổng lồ Hoai River as an offering to the God as well as our ancestors. Along the riverbank, there are folk performances with music (bamboo flutes, drums, and fiddles) and poetry readings.
The festivities start at dusk và finish at around 8-9pm. The fun concentrates on Japanese Covered Bridge & Cau An Hoi Bridge. Electricity use is kept at a minimum level so that the lanterns can illuminate Hoi An và create the most lãng mạn scene ever. Hoi An Lantern Festival is the ideal time for your family trip to lớn Vietnam since there will be a lot of exciting activities here.
What are the origins of the Hoi An Lantern Festival?
Vietnam has a strong tradition of Buddhism & so the full moon has always been considered a significant time in the lunar month. In Hoi An, the particular tradition of lanterns developed during the 16th và 17th centuries when the port thành phố was an important trading post.
Hoi An bustled with merchants from around the world, including the Japanese who brought with them various shaped lanterns that they would hang in front of their homes. The locals began lớn imitate this in similar hopes of bringing good luck to lớn their households.
Since those times, Hoi An has maintained its diverse cultural influences and is today widely associated with lanterns. It is thought that in 1998 the local authorities decided lớn combine lanterns with the monthly full moon celebrations & since then both Vietnamese & international travelers have flocked to lớn Hoi An each month khổng lồ participate in the celebrations.
Best time khổng lồ attend Hoi An Lantern Festival
February lớn August is the preferred time to lớn visit the Hoi An Lantern Festival, and more so recommended is during February. As February is the first full moon of the lunar new year, the Hoi An Lantern Festival celebrations biggest và more exclusive during this time.
How is the Hoi An Lantern Festival celebrated?
As the name suggests, the biggest feature of this festival is the lanterns. Cute, multi-colored lanterns are lit with candles và placed on the Thu Bon river with a wish for happiness, luck, và love.
At 8pm all fluorescent lights are turned off so that the floating lanterns are all that illuminate Hoi An, creating a magical glow. The ban on vehicles and bicycles in Hoi An's old quarter means you can wander around & soak up the atmosphere without fear of walking into the path of a motorist.
There are usually performances held along the river with music (bamboo flutes, drums, và fiddles) & poetry readings. Locals will play board games outside their homes while others gather for Bai Choi - a musical version of bingo.
Street food stalls pop up all along the river selling delicious vegetarian food alongside classic pork dishes. It's a great time to try tasty moon cakes (pastries filled with sweet red bean paste) and cửa hàng at the busy night markets. By 10pm the celebrations wind down.
In conjunction with the lantern festival, the full moon is a time to honor deceased relatives and ancestors. Local families will also visit shrines và present offerings of flowers, food, & candles as well as kém chất lượng money bills in exchange for prosperity.
Where is the Hoi An Lantern Festival celebrated?
The Full Moon festival is celebrated across Vietnam but the UNESCO-listed town of Hoi An has become the most popular destination for travellers lớn enjoy the monthly festivities thanks to the dedicated lantern festival.
The best place lớn witness the kích hoạt in Hoi An is the area between the Japanese Covered Bridge và the Cau An Hoi Bridge. Here you will be able to see lanterns released onto the river with water that beautifully reflects the hanging lights of surrounding buildings.
Things to vị at Hoi An Lantern Festival
Relish a serene sampan ride
Releasing lantern on Hoai River is believed lớn bring fortune và love. If you want lớn place your own lantern on the water’s surface, the best way to do it is taking a sampan ride. Your lanterns will not be caught by a traffic jam & you can authentically enjoy Hoi An’s atmosphere on a sampan ride.
A sampan is a Vietnamese traditional canoe. Take your time to talk lớn local friendly ferrymen who will provide you with more knowledge about this ancient town.
Watch traditional Bai Choi performance
Bai Choi is an interesting folk game of Central Vietnam which combines music, poetry, acting, painting và literature. Originated among peasants in quang region, Bai Choi has a complex mix of rules which involves thẻ drawing and folk singing. Bai Choi songs are about daily life & work, which represent our patriotism and connectivity of the community. This game brings a lively and sparkling atmosphere to lớn Hoi An Lantern Festival.
Enjoy delicious street foods
Cao vệ sinh is the must-try food in this dreamy city. This food is influenced by Japanese & Chinese cultures that were brought by foreign traders when they settled in Hoi An. You will see some quality feature in this dish compared to lớn other food in Vietnam: the thick noodle is the same as Japanese udon, the rice crackers & porks are in Chinese style, và the broth is Vietnamese.
There are plenty of delicious cuisines at street food stalls here, for example, banh bao (steamed rice dumplings with pork và mushrooms), banh vac (steamed rice dumplings with ground shrimp và veggies), banh dap (rice crackers with steamed rice pancakes và anchovy sauce), banh xoai (mango cake) và xi ma (black sesame pudding).
Take photos of stunning lantern view
Besides the miraculous water filled with lanterns, there are many places for your photo shoot here, such as Japanese Covered Bridge, Fujian Assembly Hall (Phuc Kien), Cantonese Assembly Hall (Quang Trieu), và Old House of rã Ky. These places look even more fantastic under the illuminating space of colorful lanterns.
Visiting a temple
A full moon is a time for the locals khổng lồ honor their ancestors by offering fruits, flowers and incense to lớn them. Temples and pagodas in Hoi An are strongly influenced by the Chinese. A single ticket which costs VND 120,000will allow you to visit all houses, temples, and museums here. In Hoi An Lantern Festival, you will see the local tourists gather at quan tiền Cong Pagodas or other assembly halls lớn Hoi An to wish for luck & happiness.
Street Food
Plenty of street food stalls comprising of Japanese and Chinese influenced cuisine, và other international foods are set up for the Hoi An Lantern Festival.
Must-try
Cao vệ sinh - A delicious blend of Japanese (thick noodle or udon), Chinese (rice crackers and porks) và Vietnamese (broth) cultures.
Pop-Food
Banh Bao - Steamed rice dumplings with mushrooms và porkBanh Dap - Steamed rice pancakes, rice crackers & anchovy sauceBanh Xoai - Mango cakeXi Ma - Pudding made out of black sesameTo help you plan your visitaround the festival, below is the calendar of Hoi An Lantern Festival until the over of 2023. That said, the biggest celebration is always on February.
January | January 26th, 2021 |
February | February 25th, 2021 |
March | March 26th, 2021 |
April | April 25th, 2021 |
May | May 25th, 2021 |
June | June 23rd, 2021 |
July | July 23rd, 2021 |
August | August 21st, 2021 |
September | September 20th, 2021 |
October | October 19th, 2021 |
November | November 18th, 2021 |
December | December 17th, 2021 |
January | January 16th, 2022 |
February | February 14th, 2022 |
March | March 16th, 2022 |
April | April 14th, 2022 |
May | May 14th, 2022 |
June | June 14th, 2022 |
July | July 13th, 2022 |
August | August 12, 2022 |
September | September 10th, 2022 |
October | October 9th, 2022 |
November | November 8th, 2022 |
December | December 8th, 2022 |
January | January 6th, 2023 |
February | February 5th, 2023 |
March | March 6th, 2023 |
April | April 5th, 2023 |
May | May 4th, 2023 |
June | June 2nd, 2023 |
July | July 2nd, 2023 |
August | August 1st and 30th, 2023 |
September | September 29th, 2023 |
October | October 29th, 2023 |
November | November 27th, 2023 |
December | December 27th, 2023 |
To make the most of your Hoi An Lantern Festival experience, follow these tips:
Use a wrist strap on your camera & attach your phone to lớn a lanyard - you don't want your expensive items accidentally knocked out of your hand as you're taking photographs close to lớn the riverThat said, visit in February for the Hoi An Lantern Festival at its most brilliant - the first full moon of the lunar new year is the biggest celebration of them allBuy handmade lanterns locally for a cost of around 50 cents - the vendor will usually lend you a long pole to lower the lantern onto the waterExpect crowds & arrive early khổng lồ get a good spot - it's a popular sự kiện with locals và tourists so Hoi An's river banks fill up with people quickly hoping to lớn secure a good view of the candle-lit waterIf you want lớn escape the crowds, take a sampan ride on the river - you can watch the festivities away from the masses and more easily place your own lantern on the water's surface (expect khổng lồ pay around USD $5)Wear sturdy shoes - there's a good chance you'll have your feet trodden on as you navigate the busy streets*****************