Tens of thousands of visitors have flocked to the Long Tong (Going to the Field) festival of the Tay ethnic people in Na Hang district of the northern mountain province of Tuyen Quang. The festival, which was held on February 28 (the fifteenth day of the first lunar month), began with an incense-burning ceremony and a procession of trays of offerings from Phuc Lam Tu pagoda to the centre of Thuong Lam commune. Eighty trays of offerings were offered at a ceremony to pray for favorable weather for healthy people, animals and a bumper harvest. The ceremony also included a dragon dance and a martial art performance. It was followed by many folk games such as ball throwing, cock fighting and a beautiful horse contest that attracted hundreds of participants.
