Áo dài Vietnam is held each year in San Jose, California, a city that is home to a large Vietnamese American community. This event features an international array of designer ao dai under the direction of festival founder, Jenny Do. Fast pace of life in Vietnam during the decades of integration and development witnesses the changes in the traditional ao dai. This does not mean that the traditional ao dai is disappearing from Vietnamese life. Yet, it is becoming more adaptable to these modern days. The growing of the country day by day requires the changing and the ability of adapting. The
Aoi Matsuri of Saiō-Dai was to maintain ritual purity and to represent the Emperor at the festival. Now, the role of the Saiō-Dai is played by an unmarried woman in Kyoto. She is dressed in the traditional style of the Heian court. Traditional Heian court dress for women would be wearing several layers of exquisitely colored silk robes. The Saiō-Dai wears twelve layers of the traditional style robes (jūnihitoe). To maintain ritual purity, the Saiō-Dai goes through several ceremonies of purification before the procession of the festival. The Imperial Messenger leads the festival procession on horseback. During the Heian period he would