Cheerful activities to remark the 6th Viet Nam Poem Day

The Overview of Nguyen Tieu poem festival 2008 at Bien Hoa city

        60 years ago (Mau Ty Spring 1948), the poem named Nguyen Tieu (the night of the fifteenth of the first lunar month) was made by Ho Chi Minh president at the meeting of Central Party. This poem has spent 60 years with respect and appreciation of all generations. Inspired by Ho Chi Minh’s Nguyen Tieu poem, Viet Nam Writers’ Association had chosen the 15th day of the first lunar month (called Ram Thang Gieng) each year as Viet Nam Poem Day since 2003.

        With the theme “Words from the heart”, the poem festival this year attracted a large number of poets from many provinces and many nice works were performed in the evening of the poem festival. The festival this year was different from others thanks to the combination between poetry activities and other forms of arts which aimed at honoring the poetry such as flying kites of poems and chanting poems. Besides, the culinary activity which introduced and displayed Vietnamese food was also carried out in the evening of the poem festival, including nearly 20 kinds of cakes and other popular dishes which had existed in Viet Nam for a very long time (Banh beo, banh u, banh da lon…). These kinds of food were made from the agricultural products which are very easy to find at Vietnamese villages, say, sticky rice, banana leaf, rice floor and pineapple leaf. After being offered to the ancestors, these kinds of food would serve visitors.

        On the evening of Feb. 20, Dong Nai Literature and Arts Association held the 6th Viet Nam Poem Day at Dong Nai Teaching College.

A large number of poem lovers enjoyed the poem festival.

        The program included 26 works of poetry which were chanted by artists, poets and members of Dong Nai Literature and Arts Association. Meritorious artist Vu Dai Phong performed Ho Chi Minh’s Nguyen Tieu poem and received great impression from listeners. This poem is one of 100 best outstanding poems in the 20th century. Almost poems in the evening of the poem festival praised love of Vietnamese country and people.

Reported by Truc Linh, Translated by THKC