Unique intangible cultural heritage: Four-spirit boat racing on Tra River

For hundreds of years, at the beginning of the first lunar month, people in Tinh Long commune (Quang Ngai city, Quang Ngai province) have been bustling with the Four Sacred Animals boat racing festival on Tra river.

This is the biggest festival of the people of this land, showing the traditional beliefs of the local people and also to show gratitude to the ancestors who opened up and established the village, hoping for favorable weather and a peaceful life for the people.

LIFE WITH THE RIVER

Before flowing into the sea, the Tra River flows lazily through Tinh Long commune ( Quang Ngai city). What is there in this land that makes the river linger so? Perhaps it is the misty Dai gate, on the left bank is the majestic Thien Ma mountain overlooking the sea, as if watching over the returning sea vessels. And on the right bank of the Tra River is the lonely Co Luy village, vague under the sparkling light of dawn, and shrouded in mist every sunset.

Tra River section flows through Tinh Long commune (Quang Ngai city), where the four-spirit boat race is held.

PHOTO: PA

The hesitation of Tra Giang creates many rich brackish water products. That is when the river is no longer flooded, famous fish swim from the sea to take refuge. Brackish water gobies also breed in this part of the river, creating the famous Tra River goby specialty. Then many other products in Tra River have helped people here improve their lives. That hesitation also creates alluvial flats in the middle of the river. Tinh Long people row boats to those fertile alluvial flats to cultivate, from there vegetables grow green on the beach, filling the rural markets and Quang Ngai City.

Since then, Tinh Long people have always been grateful to the "tower god" of their hometown's rivers and remember the ancestors who founded this land. Over the past hundreds of years, following the way of making a living, many river wharves have appeared here. Lo Ren wharf, where people sharpen knives and forge farming tools; Cho Chieu wharf, bustling with river and lake visitors coming to buy, sell, bathe, and get water. In addition, there are Cua wharf, Ong Canh wharf..., places deeply ingrained in the hearts of the local people.

A four-spirit boat is on the racing track on the morning of the 5th day of Tet At Ty 2025

PHOTO: PA

Before worshiping the river bank, people often worship the ancestral shrines of the ancestors who reclaimed the land. Notably, the four ancestral shrines of the four villages in Tinh Long commune, where the traditional four sacred animals racing boats (dragon, unicorn, turtle, phoenix) are worshiped and preserved, all face the Tra River, enough to know that this river has been deeply ingrained in their minds for many generations.

The river bank of Tinh Long commune, Quang Ngai city connects with Dai estuary, the sea estuary in An Phu commune (Quang Ngai city)

PHOTO: PA

According to Mr. Pham Lanh, an elder in Tinh Long commune, the river worship ceremony in each village does not coincide in time, but must be in the spring, before the spring ceremony at Sung Tich communal house. This is also the name of the ancient Tinh Long commune and according to the remaining records, it was formed very early, around the end of the 16th century, the beginning of the 17th century.

SYMBOL OF SOLIDARITY

Although there are many festivals in a year, for Tinh Long people, the four-spirit boat racing is still the biggest festival. Since ancient times, the custom of four-spirit boat racing has somewhat diminished, but it does not reduce the respect for this unique festival in this land. According to the elders, when building a racing boat, it is necessary to make proper offerings, hoping that no mishaps will occur, so that the boat can become a strong "dragon" that can roam the rivers.

People row boats with flags and drums to the river to cheer on the boat racing festival.

PHOTO: PA

Normally, each village has 4 racing boats, all of which are kept in the village's ancestral temple and tutelary god's temple, in which the racing boat is also considered to be worshiped here, respectfully called "Mr. Boat". The boat used for racing is 14 m long, the remaining 3 are sent to pagodas for worship, in December the villagers welcome them back with exciting rituals, including lion dances.

To race the four sacred animals, in the first months of the year, the villages select 50 healthy young men and an experienced middle-aged man to keep the pace. The belief here is that in the race, whichever village's boat finishes first, that year the village will be peaceful, have good business and no accidents will happen. On the 11th of December every year, the villages hold a ceremony to welcome the boats to launch, and take them to the river for the village boys to practice.

According to Mr. Huynh An (75 years old, in Tang Long village), in the past, before the boat racing festival (the 5th and 6th of Lunar New Year), the village elders and the village's worshiping committee would stand up to worship the boat. As for the young men chosen to race the boat, on the first day of Lunar New Year, they had to go to the temple to worship their ancestors and the village guardian spirit, stay, and "sleep on the ground" for 2 nights. Only on the day the boat was set off and the race was over, could these young men return home. Nowadays, before each four-spirit boat race, the elders remind the young men of this custom.

On the 5th day of the Lunar New Year, the village worship committee, boat racing teams and villagers presented offerings at the ancestral and tutelary god temples. After the ceremony, the boats of the villages officially entered the river to start the race. Here, hundreds and thousands of people came to participate, cheering with flags, drums flying in the sky, shouting to each oar beat, each drum beat, making the whole river bustling. According to Mr. Huynh An, the 4 racing boats of the 4 villages went through 4 laps, then the first, second, third and fourth place would be chosen.

Mr. Bui Duc Man (71 years old, in Tang Long village) said that he has been watching the Four Sacred Animals boat racing festival since he was a child. Up to now, the bustling atmosphere of the festival has only increased and never decreased. Before it took place, from the previous afternoon, people were eagerly crowded along the riverbank. Then after the boat racing festival, what remained were sacred emotions about village love, gratitude to the hometown river, the tutelary gods, and ancestors...

On the 5th day of the Lunar New Year (February 2, 2025), at the ceremony to receive the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's recognition certificate for the four-spirit boat racing festival in Tinh Long commune as a national intangible cultural heritage, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Giang, Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Ngai province, emphasized that the government and people will continue to contribute to preserving and promoting the value of this intangible cultural heritage.

"This heritage will forever be the pride of Quang Ngai and a symbol of solidarity, community strength and the aspiration to conquer nature, overcome difficulties and challenges," said Mr. Giang. (to be continued)

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doc-dao-di-san-van-hoa-phi-vat-the-dua-thuyen-tu-linh-tren-song-tra-185250402220709222.htm