Thousands of local people and visitors woke earlier than usual last Thursday in Hue; many had left their houses by 5am.

While most visitors are dressed casually, most locals are dressed up.

Women wear ao dai, mainly in the traditional dark violet of Hue, with their hair carefully tied.

Middle-aged and elderly men wear a long black and blue dress, some embroidered with the Chinese character representing long life, as well as elaborate hats.

Regardless of their attire, locals and visitors share the same wish: to find the best vantage spot to watch the Nam Giao festival.

The event is a re-enactment of Ngu Dao Hoi Cung, the final leg of Le Te Nam Giao (Heaven and Earth prayer rituals that were conducted for hundreds of years).

A royal procession greets the King on his return to the palace after he has completed his rituals, and today marks the first time this event is seen in Hue since the monarchy was toppled in 1945.

Nguyen Xuan Hoa, deputy head of Hue festival's organising committee, says Nam Giao is the unique cultural event in this year's programme, which had already attracted around 1 million Vietnamese and overseas visitors by the end of last Thursday, day six of the nine-day festival.

Ritual revival

Hoang Dinh Lao, a 70-year-old Hue resident, also left his house at 5am.

He was representing his ward in a kowtow ceremony, with an incense table on the sidewalk of the road to The Nhon, one of the two gates to Ngo Mon Citadel through which the procession passes.

"I am very proud to be one of the two persons to kowtow to the palanquin, which represents the king, when the procession passes by," Lao says.

"Even though there is no king, I still want to pray for a peaceful country and prosperous people."

In his long blue brocade dress and matching turban, Lao stands next to a table groaning under dishes of grapes, dragonfruit, oranges and mangoes, jugs of water, an incense burner, two bronze candle holders and two vases filled with lotus flowers.

Lao thinks the lotus, candles and incense were exactly like those in the last procession some 60 years ago. Although he points out that back then only bananas were offered, unlike the abundant fruit offering today.

"I think it's wonderful when our ancestors' traditions are revived in this manner," he says.

As the procession turns into the road, Lao corrects his dress and headgear before kneeling down with his colleague on their mats and starting to kowtow, touching their foreheads to the ground in a show of respect.

Pomp and pageantry

The procession had left the raised platform at Nam Giao, a small hill where the King kowtows to heaven and earth in the early hours, led by a car decorated with flowers, flags and the Hue festival banner. The car is followed by a group in white uniforms holding ceremonial flags and walking in a rectangular formation.

This is succeeded by the Tien Dao (leading group) guided by a horse and two elephants draped in red and yellow cloth. Eighty people, half dressed in the blue costumes of civil mandarin and half in the green of the military mandarin accompany a palanquin – covered seat carried on poles – ferrying the Quan Do Thong (army leader) dressed in a royal costume, complete with fake beard.

The most important section, Trung Dao (middle group), trails about 50m behind, dominated by the largest elephant and empty palanquins for the King, Queen and royal family members.

The palanquin bearers are dressed in red and yellow costumes with matching hats and are accompanied by a dai nhac (loud music) group featuring gongs, drums and trumpets, a bat dat (armed fighting and dancing skills) group and a tieu nhac (small instruments) group.

The first two groups head under The Nhon Gate, where they are also greeted by another incense table with similar offerings to Lao's at Quang Duc.

By the time Lao finishes his kowtowing, the Hau Dao (last group) with two elephants and civil, military and royal guard mandarins dressed in riot of colours and holding ceremonial flags, is passing.

All the groups assemble at Ngo Mon, where music and dragon dances are performed for the King.

"It's very close to the Ngu Dao Hoi Cung I saw as a little boy," says Lao.

Festival fanfare: The Nam Giao procession culminates at the Ngo Mon Citadel. — VNA/VNS Photo Quoc Viet

Keep unique

Pham Thi Thanh, director of the Nam Giao procession, explains what we saw today was almost half the original ritual, which was researched from archives, photos and old footage.

She says this was the first time the event had been re-enacted on such a large-scale, with 600 participants, and hopes by the second and third attempts, "we will make it as close to the original as possible".

Thanh says the organising committee also wanted to honour nha nhac (royal court music), which was recognised as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO last year, so the procession halted in front of Ngo Mon for the musicians to perform for the crowds.

Thanh believes reviving these unique cultural rituals are crucial at a time when Viet Nam integrates into the global community.

She wants to reproduce the entire Le Te Nam Giao, which incorporates two more aspects: when the King and mandarins practise rituals and sacrifices at the Nam Giao worship site.

"I think Nam Giao fosters great community spirit as I can see so many people packed along the roads this morning," Thanh says.

She notes the traditional incense tables lining the procession route were set up at the instigation of locals like Lao.

Today Nguyen Ngoc Tiep, usually a student at the Hue Medicine College, was a citadel guard. Living some 700km from his home in Ha Tay Province, Tiep spent more than a month practising.

"Understanding Hue culture is very important to younger people like me," says Tiep, 20.

"Only when we understand our history, our culture and our traditions will we know how to preserve them."

Old Lao agrees, he says young people may not immediately understand these rituals, but if they become a feature of future festivals then they will start to.

"Younger generations will learn when they see it with their own eyes," he says. — VNS