A traditional festival, “Dap trong dem trang” (Banging on drums to rip its skin on a moon-lit night) of Ma Coong ethnic minority people in north-central Quang Binh province, stands out from others as it provides a chance for local youths to search for their soul mates.

Preps for the festival are usually made by locals in Bo Trach district one month before, with the most meticulous task being the making of the drum.

They kill a buffalo and use its skin for the surface of the drum. Made from a hollow trunk, the drum always has its surface stretched as tight as possible thanks to the dozens of bamboo sticks secured around it.

On the afternoon of the full-moon day in the first lunar month (Feb 16), considered the biggest moon occasion in the year, the drum is hung up in a shed in a communal yard. As soon as the moon comes up, the village patriarch makes his offerings and performs the worshipping rite on behalf of the village.

As the moon rises higher, the village patriarch will bang the drum to start the festival. Youths will then take turns banging as hard as possible on the drum until its surface is torn apart.

From that moment on, local young men and girls as well as those from other localities and even as far as Laos can freely roam hand in hand in the forest throughout the night, the act which they are usually forbidden from partaking in on normal days. After the festival each year, weddings will be held and babies will be born.

After the youths leave for their romance rendezvous in the forest, only the elderly, middle-aged and kids remain on the festival site, entertaining themselves and sipping traditional wine in the warmth of the flickering fire.

The festival has been listed as a national traditional festival to be preserved since 2007.