Unique Yin Yang market in Bac Ninh on the 4th night of Tet

The Yin Yang market also has spiritual significance, creating an opportunity for the dead and the living to meet, becoming a form of cultural activity imbued with the folk beliefs of Kinh Bac people.

According to the remaining documents, in the year of Nham Dan (43 AD), the Han Dynasty ordered Ma Vien to lead troops to attack Hai Ba Trung. The enemy troops attacked Vu Ninh town, Tien Du district (Bac Ninh province) and met Hai Ba Trung's troops, and a fierce battle broke out, many soldiers were sacrificed. After the battle, relatives of those soldiers returned to the old battlefield to remember their loved ones after Tet.

Gradually, people believed that the gates of hell only opened once a year on the night of the 4th and early morning of the 5th of the first lunar month for people in the underworld to meet their relatives on earth. From then on, the Yin and Yang market was born.

The market begins at "lights up" on an empty lot, next to a famous sacred temple in the area. This is a market without tents or candles for lighting.

At the market, no one bargains, and no one counts the money. In the darkness, only shadows of people walking and whispering can be seen. People are not as concerned with "buying luck and selling bad luck" as in some other markets. The market is an opportunity for people from the living world to meet people from the dead.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Phu in Xuan O area, Vo Cuong ward, Bac Ninh city said that now no one remembers when the first Am Duong market started. The Am Duong market of O village has many special features, the market starts at "lights on" on an empty land, called a market, but there are no tents, stalls, and no lights.

“Although there are no stalls, the market still has a lot of wine, votive offerings, incense, candles, areca nuts, betel, salt, porridge, fruits, etc. In addition, there are also black chickens, a symbol of mystery and spirituality, sold at the market,” Ms. Phu shared.

The later it gets at night, the more people and tourists come to visit and experience the Yin Yang market.

Here, the Organizing Committee also arranged offerings to commemorate the ancestors.

People and tourists coming to the Am Duong market often buy votive paper to burn for the deceased with the wish to rest in peace.

Rice, salt, and lighters are packaged in small bags, easily serving tourists from all over the world who come to "buy luck and sell bad luck" at the beginning of the year.

To buy black chicken, a special item at the Am Duong market in O village, people have to line up, buy tickets and wait until the time to receive the chicken.

According to the people of O village, the black chicken is a symbol of mystery and spirituality. Only those who are truly lucky can squeeze in and choose a black chicken to take home after the market.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hu in Ninh Xa ward, Bac Ninh city (Bac Ninh) said that in the third year of the Am Duong market being restored, many people from everywhere eagerly flocked to enjoy the cultural values ​​of the ancients. "In particular, today my friends and I went to Am Duong market to light incense sticks, ask for a little more luck, pray for good health for the family, peace, success in everything we do, and luckiest of all, to buy a black chicken."

The Am Duong Market, imbued with the folk culture of Kinh Bac region in early Spring, not only attracts local people but also many tourists from all over the world, even foreign tourists.

HA (according to VOV)

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/doc-dao-phien-cho-am-duong-o-bac-ninh-dem-mung-4-tet-373045.html