(VOVworld) - A kumquat festival took place in Hoi An City in the central province of Quang Nam last week, luring an influx of visitors and growers. The “Cam Ha-Hoi An Ornamental Kumquat Festival,” the first of its kind to be organized by the People’s Committee of Hoi An City, opened in Cam Ha Commune on Saturday and closed the same day.

The event drew some hundred growers of the ornamental citrus fruit from around the city, which is home to the UNESCO-recognized Hoi An Ancient Town. During the Lunar New Year festival, or Tet, which kicks off on February 8 and lingers one week after that, many Vietnamese families customarily buy fruit-laden kumquat trees, a symbol of prosperity and a pleasing sight, to put around their homes. The fruits are also candied and enjoyed as a delicacy.

Kumquat, known in Vietnamese as “quat” or “tac,” is one of Hoi An’s specialty plants. The festival featured 60 tubs of kumquat plants hand-picked from 50,000 ornamental trees grown around the city. Seasoned artisans also demonstrated their dexterity in different phases of kumquat plant cultivation, including grafting shoots, nurturing and shaping the plants into desired figures, at two competitions during the event. Visitors also enjoyed sweet tastes of jams and syrups made from the fruit right on the spot. Some of them purchased kumquat tubs laden with fruits to display around their homes during the forthcoming Tet.