The northern province of Bac Ninh continued holding its traditional pig slaughter festival in private this year despite the public outcry.
The festival takes places annually on the 6th day of the first month of the lunar year in the yard of Nem Thuong Village's temple normally witnessed by thousands of local people and visitors, including children. The pigs are decapitated and bystanders dip money into the blood in hope of good luck for the year.
Nem Thuong pig slaughter festival
Many people have said the festival is barbaric. Animals Asia Foundation, a non-governmental organisation called on local authorities to put an end to the slaughter, which it called the cruellest ceremony in Vietnam.
However many local residents still want to maintain the festival, holding the superstitious belief that the dipping of money of the spilled blood of the pigs will bring them good luck in the new year.
Vice chairman of Bac Ninh People's Committee, Nguyen Tu Quynh, recently said that after hearing reactions from the public steps had been taken to change the ceremony.
With the change in the way to organise the event, Nem Thuong Village is attempting to mitigate public opposition. This year, the festival falls on February 13. Local people set up a 30-square metre canvas tent on the left of the temple to organise kills pigs with the security support to prevent visitors from taking photos or clips. However, many villagers said without the public blood-letting made the festival much less interesting.
This year, Nem Thuong pig slaughter festival was held in a 30-square metre canvas tent
Researcher Bui Trong Hien, of the Institute of Vietnamese Arts and Culture said that killing an animal and daubing sheets of money with its blood are regarded as horrific rites in the modern world. The organisation of the event may have changed, but fundamentally the characteristics remained unchanged.
Meanwhile, several other unnamed experts opposed this view, claiming that festivals were local traditions; so authorities should not interfere.
