Gentle wharf, boat moored...

Boat racing on the river in Cam Kim. Photo: HONG VIET

Located at the mouth of a river, along the coast, the terrain is divided by many branches of the Thu Bon and De Vong rivers and lagoons, lakes, streams... Hoi An has a diverse river environment. The river nature creates a rich ecological environment, and traditional river fishing groups have also been formed.

Since the process of community formation, career development, traditional cultural activities associated with rivers have been created and cultivated by generations of Hoi An residents, including folk customs related to river wharfs.

For riverside localities such as Thanh Ha, Cam Kim, Cam Thanh, Cam An, Cam Chau, Cam Ha... rituals related to the river wharf are important rituals of the year.

In Cam Kim commune, the worshiping ceremony is held by people who work in catching seafood on the river, at sea and by the community living near the river. The worshiping ceremony is to pray for luck, favorable business, prosperity, and a peaceful life at the beginning of the new year.

As one of the residents who has been involved in the river trade in Cam Kim for more than 50 years, Mr. Phan Nha (Dong Ha village, Cam Kim) shared that the custom of worshiping the river wharf is a local tradition, with positive meaning in the spiritual life of people in the river area for generations.

According to our research, depending on local conditions, the scale of the worship ceremony in each place is different. There are two ceremonies a year, the spring ceremony on January 16th, the autumn ceremony on July 16th of the lunar calendar. The water wharf worship ceremony mainly focuses on the spring ceremony. The worship objects are the gods of rivers, land, local tutelary gods...

Hometown river wharf. Photo: PHUONG THAO

The ceremony usually takes place in the afternoon, is organized systematically, has a sacrificial committee and the participation of the community. The person chosen as the chief celebrant must be knowledgeable about traditional culture, be gentle, virtuous, and not commit any taboos according to the community's beliefs.

After the ceremony, the community organizes a boat race. The boat race is not simply a competition for victory or defeat, but also expresses the wish for peace, health, luck, and smooth sailing in business.

Associated with the riverside worship ceremony, boat racing is one of the typical activities of the river region and is widely participated in by people.

For those who work in the river fishing industry, the beginning of the fishing season is the opening ceremony. This ceremony is held on a family scale, at the river wharf where they set out to work.

With a tray of offerings including paper clothes, rice, salt, cakes, etc., people bring them to the riverbank to pray for a smooth and peaceful year of work, and to catch lots of shrimp and fish.

In addition, at the beginning of the year, a few days after the village worship ceremony, people working on the river organize a common worship ceremony called the "van" worship ceremony. On a large plot of land at the river wharf, the offerings include meat, fish, sticky rice, tea, fruits, wine, tea, gold and silver, paper clothes... This ceremony is for the purpose of praying for safety during the "van"'s work on the river.

The riverside worship ceremony in some areas of Hoi An has been maintained from ancient times to the present, and is one of the typical values ​​of the type of rituals and festivals. Hoi An is aiming to turn these customs into a typical tourism product, imbued with the identity of the suburban areas of Hoi An.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/ben-hien-thuyen-dau-3148247.html