The shirt offered to the Lady

Ba Chua Xu is not only the incarnation of a deity, but also the crystallization of the tradition of patriotism, the spirit of national harmony, and respect for the role of women in the community. Many people estimate that perhaps Ba Chua Xu is the Holy Mother who receives the most offerings of clothes in the country, when every year, hundreds of shirts of all colors and designs are sent by visitors from all over the country. The shirts are so many that the Management Board of Sam Mountain Mausoleum has to organize a lottery, periodically every 2 weeks to perform a bathing and changing ceremony for her. Each time, many shirts are placed on her statue, sharing the blessings with the worshipers, satisfying the wishes of the worshipers.

If she had no shortage of new clothes to wear, why was there a custom of offering clothes to her? The answer goes back to 200 years ago, when border invaders encountered her statue near the top of Sam Mountain. They were greedy and tried to take it away, but could only move it a short distance. The villagers mobilized hundreds of strong men, with a heart of faith, hoping to bring her down the mountain to worship her. Only when she trampled on the bronze and told 9 virgin girls to bring her down did the process go smoothly. In addition to building a temple, the villagers quickly sewed a coat for her statue, starting an important folk cultural activity.

Therefore, before the peak of the Lady of the Land Festival every year, early in the morning of the 15th day of the 4th lunar month, without the need for the Management Board of the Sam Mountain Temple to issue an announcement or anyone to remind them, hundreds of women from all over gather at the Lady's temple grounds in Sam Mountain (Chau Doc City). This shirt is an inner shirt, 8m wide, with only a collar, sleeves, and a tie, and no buttons at all. Depending on their sincerity, people buy fabric to sew, but it is usually high-quality brocade or soft, shiny silk. The basic rule is bright, colorful fabric (red, blue, yellow, pink...), avoiding black, white, and dried betel. Every 2 weeks, the Lady is allowed to change 4 shirts, which means 96 shirts are needed for the whole year (104 in a leap year).

To make hundreds of these shirts, during the “Shirt Sewing Festival”, each woman worked hard from early morning until late at night, only taking a few minutes to “break” and eat lunch. Notably, every stitch was sewn by hand, without using machines. The ancients said that when sewing machines became popular, people came up with the idea of ​​sewing all the shirts by machine, which was both fast and beautiful. However, when asking for glue to pray to the Lady, the answer was “no”. Therefore, the shirts offered to the Lady have continued to be sewn by hand for decades.

“I have lived next to Ba since I was young, but I have been busy working far away, so I rarely have the opportunity to participate in Ba’s Via. Every year, I can only watch the scene of sewing the shirt, carrying the statue of Ba… on social networks and in the press. This year, I had time to participate in sewing Ba’s shirt, I felt very excited and happy. If I didn’t know how to do something, I asked the sisters, they gave me detailed instructions” - Ms. Cao Thi Kheo (54 years old) said. Ms. Huynh Thi Huong (42 years old) has 6-7 years of experience sewing Ba’s shirt. On the appointed day, she and her sisters went to buy fabric, stopped by Ba’s temple before the sun rose, and diligently sewed 3 shirts in a row. When we finished, the moon was high in the sky… “We pray for good health, and we only have one day a year to “repay” the Lady, so we will definitely continue this activity until we can no longer do it. Next year, the number of participants will be greater than last year. Whoever has work to do can go home early and hand it over to someone else to help, without having to finish before leaving” - Ms. Huong shared.

Behind the activity of sewing Ba Ao is the profound meaning of the process of religious and cultural activities of the community, passed down from generation to generation. Like the story of Mrs. Quach Minh Huong (living in Chau Thanh district, Dong Thap province). Over 90 years old, for more than 50 years she has traveled to Chau Doc city to sew Ba Ao, only interrupted for a few years by the COVID-19 pandemic. "When I have children, I take them with me, when I have grandchildren, I take them with me, the whole family goes to Ba temple together. Now, my eyes are dim, my hands are shaking, I can't sew as well as when I was young and strong. But in return, my children and grandchildren are very good at "inheriting" the job" - she happily said. Many generations of women continue the folk tradition like Mrs. Huong's family, the next generation steps up to replace the previous generation, continuing the customs and beliefs intact.

The work of sewing clothes for the Lady is only done by skillful and experienced women. But that does not mean leaving everything to women. Men who are willing to support take on the responsibility of cooking vegetarian meals, drinks, and other small tasks around the outside. All are interwoven, completing the vivid picture of a miniature community in the grounds of the Lady's temple, where people are bound together by the belief in a bright future, by hospitality, and by the heart of giving without calculating gains or losses!

GIA KHANH

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/chiec-ao-dang-ba-a420777.html