On December 10, 2024, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued Decision No. 3987/QD-BVHTTDL and Decision No. 3986/QD-BVHTTDL recognizing the Non Khe Village Newspaper Traditional Festival (Yen Mo District) and the Nguyen Temple Festival (Gia Vien District) as National Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Non Khe village is located in Yen Tu commune, Yen Mo, Ninh Binh. According to traditional customs, every year on the 14th day of the first lunar month, the village organizes the Bao Ban festival. This is a traditional festival, meaning to repay the origin and merit of the ancestors according to the saying "when drinking water, remember the source".
bao Ban Non Khe festival consists of a ceremony and a festival. The ceremony is an opportunity for villagers to commemorate the ancestors who opened up and founded the village and at the same time express their respect to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the cause of protecting the country. A unique feature of the Bao Ban festival is to respectfully report to Thanh Hoang and the ancestors about the success and studiousness of the villagers' children and the achievements of the village in the past year. The festival is exciting with performances: dragon dance, lion dance, chess, wrestling, to tom and sports activities.
The Saint Nguyen Temple Festival takes place from the 8th to the 10th of the third lunar month at the Saint Nguyen Temple in Gia Thang Commune, Gia Tien, Gia Vien District. This is an occasion for local people to pay tribute to the great contributions of National Master Nguyen Minh Khong in the history of the nation. The festival consists of two parts: the ceremony and the festival. In the main ceremony, there is a custom of carrying water from the Hoang Long River to the temple; The festival includes folk games such as tug of war, 32-piece chess, cockfighting, volleyball, soccer, etc.
The two traditional festivals above are not only important events in the spiritual life of local people, but also an indispensable part of the cultural identity of Ninh Binh. The recognition of Bao Ban Non Khe Festival and the Nguyen Temple Festival as National Intangible Cultural Heritages is not only of great significance to the people of Ninh Binh but also creates favorable conditions for heritage conservation activities, helping to raise public awareness of the importance of preserving cultural heritage, promoting traditional cultural values in modern life, contributing to sustainable tourism development./.