The Khau Vai Love Market festival has taken place in Khau Vai commune of Meo Vac district, giving visitors an insight into the unique market in the northernmost province of Ha Giang.
A performance at the opening ceremony of the Khau Vai Love Market Festival (Photo: nhandan.com.vn) Khau Vai Love Market is almost a century old and traditionally opens for only one day – the 27th day of the third lunar month, which is April 23 this year. Speaking at the festival’s opening ceremony on April 21, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Son said Khau Vai Love Market honours innocent and faithful love. It is where men and women make friends while lovers who could not marry also come here to meet each other and share their feelings. The Khau Vai Love Market festival is among cultural events the province wants to introduce to domestic and foreign tourists, he noted, adding that it also aims to preserve and promote traditional cultural values of local ethnic minority groups. During the festival, visitors had a chance to enjoy a number of cultural programmes such as incense offering rituals, giao duyen (love affairs) singing, and Mong ethnics’ khen (panpipe) performances, while engaging in folk games. They also experienced local daily activities, learned about newly discovered geological values in Ma Pi Leng hamlet of Pa Vi commune, tasted typical dishes and tried traditional craft products of residents here.
