Dong Cuong is ready to open the festival.

These days, the atmosphere at Dong Cuong Temple is more vibrant than usual. Along the road leading to the temple, flags, banners, and slogans have been displayed. Within the temple grounds, subcommittees are actively carrying out their tasks according to plan, ready for the opening ceremony of the Dong Cuong Temple Festival in the Spring of the Year of the Horse 2026.

Traditionally, the Dong Cuong Temple holds its annual festival on the first day of the first lunar month (the day of the Rabbit). This year, the festival will be held over two days, from February 21st to February 22nd, 2026 (corresponding to the 5th and 6th days of the first lunar month of the Year of the Horse) at the Dong Cuong Temple National Historical and Cultural Relic Complex, located in Ben Den village, Dong Cuong commune, Lao Cai province.

According to many folklore researchers, Dong Cuong Temple is the birthplace of Mau Thuong Ngan in the Vietnamese system of worshipping the Three Realms Mother Goddess and holds an extremely important position in the system of worshipping the Mother Goddess, considered the origin of Mau Thuong Ngan.

The Steering Committee for the Dong Cuong Temple Festival held a meeting to discuss and implement work plans, reviewing each task to ensure the festival takes place in a solemn and safe manner.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nam, Deputy Head of the Management Board and Head of the Support Team for Dong Cuong Temple, said: “Dong Cuong Temple has a very distinctive system of rituals that bears the strong imprint of the Mother Goddess worship in the Red River Delta region. Therefore, in the preparation work, we pay special attention to the ceremonial aspects, from the ritual of welcoming the shaman, offering incense, the spirit medium ceremony to open the festival, the buffalo slaughtering ritual at night, to the ritual of carrying the Mother Goddess across the river the next morning. All are meticulously planned and rehearsed to ensure the festival is both solemn, traditional, and absolutely safe.”

According to the plan, the ceremony to welcome Mr. Mo will take place on the morning of February 21st (the 5th day of the first lunar month), marking the beginning of a series of traditional rituals at Dong Cuong Temple.

According to the plan, on the afternoon of February 21st, the incense offering ceremony and the spirit medium ritual will open the festival at the Goddess Palace. That night, the traditional buffalo slaughtering ceremony will take place at the ancient jackfruit tree, followed by the distribution of blessings to the Mother Goddess for the new year. On the morning of February 22nd, there will be the offering of the ceremonial address, followed by the procession of the Mother Goddess across the river – a unique ritual clearly demonstrating the Mother Goddess worship associated with the lives of riverside residents.

Alongside the ceremonial part, the artistic program on the opening night, held at 8 PM on February 21st, was elaborately produced and designed around the theme of honoring the Mother Goddess worship and local cultural identity. The stage was set up within the grounds of Dong Cuong Temple with a large-scale sound system, lighting, and LED screens.

The procession of the Goddess across the river is performed according to the traditional and solemn rituals of the temple.

The spectacular art program, combining traditional folk singing, spirit medium dances, ancient Xoe dances, Tay folk dances, and songs praising spring and the homeland of Dong Cuong, promises to offer locals and tourists an artistic experience rich in spiritual and cultural elements, both solemn and sacred, yet vibrant with the colors of the spring festival. This is not only a celebratory event but also a cultural highlight, contributing to a vivid recreation of the Mother Goddess worship tradition associated with the local community.

In addition, specific plans have been developed to ensure security, traffic safety, and fire prevention and control. Police forces, militia, and local security teams have been mobilized and assigned clear tasks, ready to ensure the safety of delegates, citizens, and visitors throughout the festival.

Ms. Ha Thi Huong Mai, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Dong Cuong commune, said: "We consider the festival not only a cultural and spiritual activity but also an opportunity to promote the image of the locality. Therefore, from reception, logistics, environment, health , security to the artistic program, everything is meticulously prepared to ensure the festival takes place safely, civilly, and solemnly, leaving a beautiful impression on visitors from all over."

In recent years, Dong Cuong Temple has become a spiritual and religious highlight for many people and tourists from all over the country on their cultural and spiritual journeys, remembering their roots. Every year, hundreds of thousands of visitors from all provinces and cities across the country make pilgrimages to the Temple of the Second Mother Goddess of the Upper Mountains to offer incense, admire the temple's scenery, and pray for national peace and prosperity, good fortune, wealth, and safety in life.

Dao Thi Thu Huyen, a medium from Dong Anh commune, Hanoi, who has attended the festival for many years, expressed: “What is special about Dong Cuong Temple is that the rituals have been preserved intact. The ritual of carrying the Mother Goddess across the river is a very moving moment, clearly showing the belief in worshipping the Mother Goddess associated with the river and the lives of the local people. I think this year's preparations are very thorough, and I'm sure the festival will leave many beautiful impressions on visitors.”

With thorough and proactive preparation, we are confident that the Dong Cuong Temple Festival in the Spring of the Year of the Horse 2026 will be held safely, solemnly, and richly in national cultural identity, truly becoming a "spiritual and cultural destination" for the people and tourists. This is also an opportunity for the ethnic communities of Dong Cuong commune to recall the traditional customs and practices of their ancestors, restore and maintain the beautiful cultural features of their people. From there, a chain of spiritual tourism development will gradually be formed, linked with other types of tourism in the locality.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/dong-cuong-san-ready-to-open-the-festival-post893708.html