Experience the Chem Temple Festival in Hanoi - AsiaRooms.com

AsiaRooms.com divulges anyone who enjoys witnessing cultural ceremonies and religious festivals should consider booking Hanoi hotels next month.

From May 14th to 16th, worshippers will gather to celebrate the Chem Temple Festival in the city.

Held every year, this religious event pays tribute to Ly Ong Trong or Ly Than and his wife Princess Bach Tinh, both of whom were legendary figures around the time when the Hung Kings held power in the country.

Ly Than is credited with protecting the northern borders of the then-Chinese empire against Mongolia's army.

Festivities are characterised by a water parade on the river and a ceremony to release a number of pigeons.

The procession along the river is carried out to collect water that can be used to bathe the statues of Ly Than and his wife, which are housed in the Chem Temple.

Anyone who wants to watch some of the festivities will find the building in the Thuy Phuong Commune in the Tu Liem district of Hanoi.

Following the parade in the afternoon, there is a ceremony which takes the form of a funeral oration to mark the occasion.

After the formal religious proceedings are over, villagers gather to play a number of games, including kite flying, tug-of-war and trai racing, which sees teams from villages around the region battle it out.