The content and meaning of the procession ritual
vary from festival to festival with regard to the object of procession, its
organization and participants. The procession of gods and water processions are
usually carried out prior to the opening and closing ceremonies of the festival
accordingly.
Festivals, as mentioned above, are to honor holy
figures, i.e. gods or divinities to whose temples and shrines are dedicated.
Very often a festival takes place in the courtyard of the village’s communal
house which is spacious and convenient for the conduct of liturgical processes
and rejoicing activities. As such, the ritual of god procession is held along
the route from their places of worship to the place of liturgy. At the end of
the festival, another procession will bring gods’ statues back to their
temples. After the procession ritual are the ritual of presenting offerings to
gods and the opening of the festival. In many festivals, a procession of the
oration dedicated to gods is held every day. Each day a different oration is
used.
In traditional festivals it is required that participants
in the procession ritual must be men above 18 years old who are selected
carefully on the basis of their physical strength and good ethics. Women can
join the procession group in such festivals as Phu Day or Ha Loi which dedicate
to goddesses. Anyone who is chosen to become a member of the procession group
must consider it his/her own honor and his/her family.
On its way, each procession bears its own symbol.
People beat drums and gongs (formerly firecrackers were used) to signal the
departure of the procession.
On the closing day of the festival, a final ritual
is held with all processes required.