Vietnam's Chingay Parade: Preserving Culture and Heritage
Vietnam is an Asian country which is coupled with various forms of culture and a rich heritage. These form some of the prime tourist attraction points. In a bid to commemorate and to keep their rich culture alive, various events are performed at specific time intervals. The most famous and well-known is the Chingay parade which involves dancers, materialized dragons, stilt walkers, and many other individuals coming together and marching. The Chingay event is characterized by the following objectives.
To Preserve the Culture
As already discussed above, the south-east Asian region has a rich cultural heritage. The parade is done to ensure that this culture never dies down and its passed to the next generation(Richmond, 2010). The parade is a means of achieving this. It is also the basis of teaching the future generations about the country's cultures hence ensuring they also pass down to their offspring overall keeping the culture and cultural practices alive. The parade is hence an important tradition which aims at preserving the overall heritage and culture of the country.
To Establish the Tourism Industry
The parade is characterized by a large degree of fireworks, different colors, performances, floats and so on. It is a marvel to watch. Hence it goes hand in hand to attract tourists(Seo, 2017). True to this statement, the event itself attracts a large number of individuals from neighboring countries who share an almost similar cultural heritage with the country hosting the parade. People from relatively far off countries such as the United States also come to marvel at the spectacle which is the parade. In short, thanks to the event, the tourism industry readily established.
To Encourage Proper Relations
Acts such as the parade prompt citizens to exercise patriotism by showcasing their culture and deep heritage. This, in turn, fosters good morals and proper relations between different individuals of various walks of life(Seo, 2017). This, in turn, goes hand in hand to promote peace and good relations. This hence works hand in hand to stabilize the economy and prevent acts such as civil wars and so forth(Day & Liem, 2010). The parade can hence be concluded to be a definitive fabric which cements the citizens of the country together. Quarrels and acts which serve to divide are hence significantly avoided thanks to the parade.
To Foster Unity and Create a Sense of Belonging
Human beings are part of society, and they need to feel like they are part of a group. This is referred to the cultural notation, every single person is part of the culture, and they wish to be recognized as such(Day & Liem, 2010). Being seen in the context of culture also enhances unity and togetherness since the individuals all have a common goal toward the country or the region in question. Unity also strengthens patriotism which is beneficial for the area in question. Patriotic people will never engage in acts such as selling the country’s information to the outside forces or betraying the country while at war and so forth(Day & Liem, 2010). A patriotic country is also easy to rule since the population is characterized by self-disciplined individuals who work to ensure that everything happens smoothly and precisely.
To Provide Entertainment
The parade, as already established above, is marked by colorful spectacles, people in costumes, giant floats and fireworks. Such is just the tip of the iceberg since the parade itself is characterized by hundreds of different entertainment tropes. Since the overall parade is exciting to look at, it can be conclusively stated that it brings about entertainment. Since entertainment is a readily welcomed feature for most events, that which is offered as per the Chingay event is also readily embraced. Entertainment boosts spirits and morale hence it is an important aspect of any event.
To Foster Marketing
Some of the most famous and well-known companies form part of the parade itself. A good example is Coca-Cola and so forth(Kraushaar, 2010). The parade itself is viewed by a large group of individuals both in the country where it is being held and also all over the world. It has already been discussed above that tourists often visit these places just to witness the event taking place. The fact that it is witnessed by a large group of people makes the parade a crucial marketing outlet. It not only ensures a large percentage of people are made aware of a particular brand, but it also influences the buying choices. In essence, the parade itself focuses a great deal on marketing.
The parade, as already seen above entails many objectives. Some of the objectives are more oriented toward the preservation of culture and heritage of the country in question while others are more corporate based and focus entirely on business. Such include the objective to attract tourism and also to enhance marketing. The parade itself hence is an important event in light of these facts. It is important to note that different societies all have different ways of preserving and representing their cultures, some ways are more lucrative than others.
References
Day, T. & Liem, M. (2010). Cultures at War: The Cold War and cultural expression in Southeast Asia. Ithaca, N.Y: Southeast Asia Program Publications
Kraushaar, F. (2010). Eastwards: Western views on East Asian culture. Bern New York: Peter Lang.
Richmond, S. (2010). Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei. Footscray, Vic: Lonely Planet.
Seo. (2017). Southeast Asian Houses Expanding Tradition. Irvine, CA: Seoul Selection.
