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On October 11 (August 20 of the lunar calendar), at the special national relic site of Tran Temple - Pho Minh Pagoda ( Nam Dinh Ward, Ninh Binh Province), the traditional festival of Tran Temple in 2025 took place, commemorating the 725th anniversary of the death of Saint Tran. W-Saint Tran_11.jpg

Along with the Tran Temple seal opening festival on the night of January 14, the traditional Tran Temple festival in the 8th lunar month (formerly Nam Dinh province, now Ninh Binh province) has been included in the list of national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The traditional festival of Tran Temple includes cultural and religious activities such as palanquin procession, sacrifices, and incense offering. W-Saint Tran_10.jpg

Along with the solemn ceremony is a series of exciting cultural, artistic and folk game activities, attracting a large number of people and tourists from all over the country to participate.

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For a long time, the festival commemorating Saint Tran in the eighth lunar month has become a traditional cultural feature, deeply ingrained in the minds of many people, demonstrating the morality of "remembering the source of drinking water" and showing gratitude for the merits of the national hero.

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Ms. Vu Thi Nga (residing in Lien Minh commune, Ninh Binh province) shared that every year on the anniversary of "Father" - Saint Tran in the eighth lunar month, she goes to Tran temple to offer prayers to show her respect, gratitude and pray for peace for her family.

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The highlight of this year's festival is the culinary ceremony (offering ceremony) showing respect to the King and the Saint. At the festival, 50 culinary artists participated in preparing nearly 100 traditional dishes with the characteristics of the Thien Truong land.

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Each tray of food is arranged with 9 main dishes, symbolizing the “nine heavens” – the nine levels of heaven, where the majesty of Heaven, Earth and the King converge. The ingredients are selected from typical local products, combined with the quintessence of regional cuisine.

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In particular, the central dish of the feast is fried shrimp with tangerine peel - a rustic but meaningful dish symbolizing the wisdom and spirit of tolerance of the Tran Dynasty.

According to legend, in the past, King Tran cleverly used a plate of blood worms and a tangerine to resolve the feud between two mandarins, Tong Giao and Cung Vien.

The book Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu also recorded that King Tran told Tong Giao: "Cung Vien is a scholar, you are a eunuch, why are we at odds? You are the governor of Thien Truong, using earthworms and tangerines to travel and give them to each other, what's the problem?" Hearing that, Tong Giao and Cung Vien were both moved, from then on put aside their grudges, and together devoted themselves to the country. That's why, in the dish of earthworm rolls, tangerine peel is not only a spice that creates a unique flavor but also contains a historical story.

Besides the dish of fried shrimp with tangerine peel, the "nine-layer" tray also has traditional dishes made from local products such as grilled fish, snails stewed with banana, ham, spring rolls, stewed meatballs, stir-fried lotus root, Kenh village rice rolls, gai cake...

Ms. Le Thi Thiet, President of the Ninh Binh Province Culinary Culture Association, said that the offering of the “nine-layer” tray of offerings at the traditional Tran Temple Festival not only contributes to recreating the ancient royal and folk cuisine, but is also an opportunity to introduce the quintessence of traditional cuisine of the Thien Truong land. Thereby, contributing to preserving and promoting the intangible cultural values ​​of the festival; creating a highlight to attract tourists, promoting local tourism development.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/dieu-dac-biet-trong-mam-co-cuu-trung-tai-le-hoi-den-tran-o-ninh-binh-2451492.html