The unique features of the Village Dọc communal house festival.

Every spring, the people of Viet Hong commune eagerly participate in the Lang Doc Village Temple Festival – a folk festival deeply rooted in the cultural traditions of the Kinh and ancient Tay people. This is not only an occasion to pray for lush green rice paddies, bountiful harvests, and prosperity, but also to express hopes for a peaceful, prosperous, and happy life.

A large number of locals and tourists participated in the festival at Doc village communal house, Viet Hong commune.

The ancient village of Dọc was formerly known as Bản Guộc or Bản Lọc, which in the Tay language means "dense forest village." The village communal house of Dọc was built in the early 19th century, during the reign of Emperor Khải Định of the Nguyễn dynasty, and was granted a royal decree. The communal house not only worships the village's guardian deity and tutelary god but also the ancestor of the Phạm family and six other families – the pioneers who contributed to the reclamation and establishment of the village from the 18th century.

Therefore, the Dọc village communal house festival is deeply spiritual, while also containing profound cultural and historical values, contributing to fostering a spirit of unity, community cohesion, and gratitude to the ancestors who built this land.

The festival is held regularly twice a year. The first takes place in the first lunar month, on the 3rd and 4th days, and is called the Rice Planting Festival. The second is held on the 13th and 14th days of the seventh lunar month, also known as the Festival of Praying to the God of Agriculture.

The ceremony was held in a solemn and sacred manner, harmoniously combining traditional Kinh rituals with the distinctive Xoe Then dances of the Tay ethnic group.

During the ritual of worshipping the tutelary deity, ancestors, and forefathers, people respectfully offer thanks and pray for divine blessings for bountiful harvests and a prosperous and fulfilling life throughout the year.

The ritual of offering meat sacrifices in the Dọc village temple festival of the Tay people in Viet Hong commune.

The festival part was lively with traditional dances and songs, creating a joyful, enthusiastic, and united atmosphere within the community. Having weathered the ups and downs of history, the Dọc village temple festival has become an indispensable cultural feature in the spiritual life of the local people.

Ms. Ha Thi Nga, from Ban Pha village, Viet Hong commune, shared: “At the beginning of the year, I go to the Doc village temple festival to pray for my family to have good health, a prosperous life, peace and happiness all year round.”

According to Comrade Hoang Manh Ha, Secretary of the Party Committee of Viet Hong commune, the Doc village communal house festival plays an important role in the cultural and religious life of the people. The festival not only contributes to preserving and promoting national cultural values ​​but also educates the younger generation about patriotism and pride in their homeland; at the same time, it promotes the image of Viet Hong commune – a land located within the Van War Zone National Historical Monument complex – to tourists from near and far.

Over time, the Lang Doc Village communal house festival has not only been a folk religious activity but has also become a spiritual anchor for the community, contributing to preserving the cultural identity of the Kinh and Tay ethnic groups, fostering the tradition of "drinking water, remembering the source," and cultivating a spirit of unity and pride in the homeland of Viet Hong - a land rich in revolutionary traditions within the Van War Zone National Historical Monument complex.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/dac-sac-le-hoi-dinh-lang-doc-post894295.html