Traditional "Khai but" ceremony to be held on February 17

A traditional pen-brush opening ceremony  (or “khai but”, a Vietnamese tradition of starting a piece of calligraphy or drawing to celebrate the New Year, is going to organized on February 17 (or the 8th day of the first lunar month), according to the provincial People’s Committee.

The “khai but” ceremony is scheduled to be held at at Bai Tho Mountain Cultural Space, King Le Thanh Tong temple in Ha Long city. It is expected that the event will have the participation of 600 delegates and a large number of people and tourists.

Pen-brush opening, or “Khai But”, is a tradition which has existed for thousands of years in Vietnam, when scholars and writers penned a line of prose or poetry to begin a new-year writing period.

The pen-brush opening ceremony aims to promote the studious tradition of the Vietnamese people and honor the country’s education cause.