For years, the Spring Calligraphy Festival has been held annually at Van Mieu (Temple of Literature). Each year, this festival attracts more and more participants from the Calligraphy Club, the calligraphy Han - Nom writing, Quoc ngu.  Visitors look forward the annual event which preserves a beautiful cultural art of Vietnam.

In previous years, “calligraphy street” was organized spontaneously each traditional New Year on the sidewalk beside Van Mieu - Van Mieu Quoc Tu Giam. Even though this  festival attracted many locals, who love the beauty of caligraphy, it was poorly organized.

In 2013, Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam Cultural and Sports Center coordinated efforts with several calligraphy groups in Hanoi and organized an official "calligraphy street" in Ho Van. However, this place was not desirable due to a  lack of space for writers and visitors. Because of these disadvantages, many calligraphers returned to the sidewalk of Van Mieu.

Learning from the 2013 festival, Van Mieu actively coordinated with Calligraphy Clubs in Hanoi (the representative of UNESCO Vietnam Calligraphy) and organized the testing section before the festival in Ho Van. The new plan of the Spring Festival received the enthusiastic support of the authorities and initially gathered over 100 "masters" (both Han and Quoc Ngu) into writing tents on Ho Van.

( A cultural performance in Spring Calligraphy Festival 2018)

In the year 2015, an outdoor calligraphy exhibition was added into this festival. Organizers introduced different themes each year including:  2015 -  Study Encouragement, 2016 -  Remember the Ancestor, 2017 - Be deferential to teacher and respect for morals, and 2018 -  Encourage Education. The exhibition includes calligraphy works on various materials and various subjects. In addition, beginning in 2017, cultural activities and craft villages were also organized in Ho Van during the festival.

(The first prize calligraphy displayed in Spring Calligraphy Festival 2018)

For calligraphy writing activities, the standard of qualified calligraphers is constantly improved. In particular, registered calligraphers must be able to write in Han Nom, Quoc Ngu. Qualifications are assessed bycalligraphy clubs in Hanoi and clubs from other provinces. In addition, the quality of the qualification process has also improved. During 2014-2015, the qualifier only needed to write a right character. However, during subsequent years,  the calligrapher must write beautifully and provide innovative content.

(Several activities of the trade villages in Spring Calligraphy Festival 2018)

The spring calligraphy festival continues to honor cultural values in Vietnam. This festival initially responded to the demand of calligraphic words at the beginning of the new year,  a traditional cultural beauty that needs to be preserved and promoted and encouraged by Hanoians. However, several problems still exist.

Firstly, this festival does not attract young calligraphers, in contrast to “calligraphy street” in Ho Chi Minh. This problem also limits the promotion of calligraphy art. Secondly, the calligrapher rarely explains the meaning of the word. Visitors cannot personally relate to the value of their letters in terms of content and form. Lastly, there is a lack of calligraphers who can write in the style of Vietnamese script word.

In conclusion, the Spring Calligraphy festival has become an attractive annual activity during Tet in Hanoi. In order to improve the quality of this festival, the theme of each year must be varied and provide meaningful values. In addition, the quality of the calligrapher, the core of festival, needs to be significantly measured before being invited to participate in the festival. The qualifiers not only include the ability to write the beautiful word, but also to have deep knowledge of calligraphy to inspire the art value for the visitor.

Writer: PhD. Le Xuan Kieu

Translator: Bich Phuong