HANOI, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Le Nguyen Hong Son, a co-pilot for a Vietnamese airline, found himself unexpectedly immersed in an exhibition space at the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long in the capital Hanoi, where a recreated family altar with trays of seasonal fruits, fermented sticky rice, pyramid-shaped ash cakes and herbal offerings was displayed as part of the traditional pest-killing festival.
The display is part of the heritage site's celebration program held ahead of this year's pest-killing festival, which falls on Friday, the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.
In Vietnam, the "pest-killing festival" is also widely known as Tet Doan Ngo, as folk belief holds that this is the time of seasonal change, when pests and illnesses tend to develop, and people pray to drive away both diseases in the body and crop pests.
Son, who is based in the southern hub of Ho Chi Minh City, spent a few hours during his crew layover exploring Vietnam's traditional festival through the customs presented in the exhibition.
Son told Xinhua that his family marks the occasion every year with simple rituals, including buying fermented sticky rice for a small celebration at home.
Expressing his hope that traditional foods and rituals linked to the occasion would be better preserved and more widely promoted, Son suggested that airlines could help introduce Vietnamese cultural traditions to more passengers.
"I also hope airlines can develop this further and bring these foods to passengers so that they can learn more about a traditional custom of Vietnam," he added.
At this year's event, organizers recreated both folk and court traditions, from ancestral offerings and protective charms for children to historical rituals once observed in the Thang Long royal court.
Among the visitors was Tran Le Viet Anh, a 10th-grade student, who regarded the festival as a special occasion closely tied to family connection and cultural roots.
"For a full offering tray, there may be mung bean sticky rice, a plate of chicken, fermented sticky rice, and sometimes sweet floating rice dumplings," Anh said, adding that he often helps his parents prepare the family's ceremonial meal each year.
His parents, originally from Bac Ninh province in northern Vietnam, moved to the southern city of Dong Nai more than 26 years ago, but have continued to preserve and pass on northern customs associated with the festival.
"I think maintaining such a custom for so long is very meaningful, because it is a beautiful tradition that should be preserved," Anh told Xinhua, stressing that it is also a way for him to stay connected with his ancestors and relatives in the north.
Across Vietnam, traditional practices for the festival generally include ancestral worship, eating fermented sticky rice and seasonal fruits, bathing in herbal water, and gathering medicinal plants.
For children, meanwhile, the festival brings the simple excitement of seasonal treats and family gatherings.
"Every year my family makes pyramid-shaped dumplings or buys fruit for the offering," said nine-year-old Trinh Thao Minh Thu, adding that she especially enjoys rambutans and pomelos served during the festival.
Thu said the occasion makes her especially happy because it gives her a chance to gather with relatives during the summer holiday.
"When I see so many uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters gathering together, it feels very joyful," she said. ■