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| Keo Hanh Thien Pagoda special national monument. |
Keo Hanh Thien Pagoda, in addition to worshiping Buddha, also worships the Holy Ancestor - Zen Master Duong Khong Lo, a historical figure with great contributions to the Ly Dynasty, who was appointed by King Ly as National Master and Grand Master. The people of Hanh Thien village worship him as the most sacred Phuc Than - Thanh Hoang, who has the merit of enlightening and establishing Hanh Thien village. Keo Hanh Thien Pagoda Festival takes place twice a year in spring and autumn, welcoming tens of thousands of domestic and foreign tourists to visit and study. In spring, the festival is held from the 12th to the 15th of the second lunar month at Dinh Lan Pagoda (Keo Pagoda outside) with rituals: incense offering, palanquin procession, elder banquet... The autumn festival was previously held by the people of Hanh Thien village from the 10th to the 16th of the ninth lunar month. Currently, the main ceremonies in the festival are held from the 12th to the 15th of the 9th lunar month, with ancient rituals such as: presenting Buddha, Saints, welcoming, restoring temple (royal robe), erecting flags, Saint's birthday and puppetry, thanksgiving ceremony; at the same time, many games and folk performances are maintained such as: Cheo singing, rowing, coc singing, lantern procession, chess, climbing corn bridge to catch ducks, lion dance... Villagers far from home often return every festival to immerse themselves in the traditional culture of their homeland, go to the temple to worship Buddha and pray for peace, meet relatives and friends.
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| The Truong Yen ceremony is held every three years in Hanh Thien village to show the spirit of longevity and filial piety towards parents. |
In 2019, Keo Pagoda Festival - Hanh Thien village, Xuan Hong commune was listed as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism . Since its listing, the management and organization of Keo Pagoda Hanh Thien festival has always been directed by the District People's Committee to the Party Committee, the government, the Relic Management Board, the Festival Organizing Committee and the community of Xuan Hong commune in general, the people of Hanh Thien village in particular to seriously, effectively and solemnly implement the festival in a civilized manner, creating favorable conditions for local people and tourists to worship the relic landscape, practice beliefs, participate in indigenous cultural activities of the community; prevent the commercialization of religious activities, beliefs and acts of violating security and order, superstition.
In Hanh Thien village, there is a humane custom, which is to organize the Truong Yen ceremony in early spring, expressing the spirit of longevity and filial piety towards parents. The elders of Hanh Thien village said: the Truong Yen custom has existed since the village was founded. According to ancient village customs, the village's Yen Lao is held every three years from the 10th to the 16th of the second lunar month in the years of Dan, Than, Ty, Hoi. People aged 60 and over will be invited to attend the banquet, those aged 70 and over will be able to organize the Truong Yen ceremony. On the Truong Yen day, the color of the clothes for the elderly is regulated: those aged 70 to 79 wear ao dai and a red cloth scarf; those aged 80 to 89 wear ao dai and a red silk scarf; those aged 90 and over wear ao dai and a red silk scarf; over 100 years old wearing yellow silk shirts... On the grand festival day (usually on the 14th day of the second lunar month), the children and grandchildren of each family take their grandparents and parents "long-lived" from their homes to Tam Giap temple to worship Buddha and Saints at Keo Pagoda outside and Keo Pagoda inside. The procession is held solemnly, dignifiedly and bustlingly with drum and flute bands playing flowing melodies. Children and grandchildren go along eagerly and excitedly; the whole village is bustling. At the pagoda, the celebrant respectfully offers incense to Buddha and Saints, announces the list of elderly people who have reached the age of longevity and prays for Buddha and Saints to bless and protect them with good health. In the spring of At Ty 2025, the village organized a Truong Banh for 968 elderly people, including 3 elderly people (over 100 years old), more than 180 pairs of twins (both grandparents lived long), and over 260 elderly people had their first Truong Banh. Ms. Pham Thi Hue, from Hamlet 3, whose parents are the oldest in the village, happily shared: “We are very happy that our parents are still healthy and honored to participate in the Truong Yen ceremony. This is a unique cultural ceremony of the village toeducate children to respect their elders, be filial to their grandparents and parents, study well, and contribute to building their homeland."
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| People experience online visit to special national relic Keo Hanh Thien Pagoda. |
Not only valuing filial piety, the people of Hanh Thien village also have a tradition of studiousness. During the feudal period, the village had 350 people who passed the baccalaureate or higher; during the Nguyen Dynasty alone, 88 people passed the bachelor's degree or higher, including 7 people who passed the royal examination, leading the country in the number of successful people. Hanh Thien village is the homeland, the birthplace and nurturing place of General Secretary Truong Chinh, along with 11 generals of the Vietnam People's Army, 2 Heroes of the Armed Forces and 2 Ministers; 3 scientists who were awarded the Ho Chi Minh Prize by the State and many intellectuals... Poet Song Hong (aka General Secretary Truong Chinh) once wrote about the village's tradition of studiousness: "... The moon falls as a mirror for you to comb your hair/ As a lamp for me to study all night long...". The village does not have many fields, and the income from farming is not much, but the whole village always values studying. The tradition of studiousness and pride in the village is deeply ingrained in the memories of the people here, becoming the motivation for children and grandchildren to strive. Generations of children and grandchildren in the village always determine that studying is to become knowledgeable, intelligent people, living in accordance with ethics, society, the times and learning for life.
Preserving and promoting the traditional cultural values of the village, in recent years, the young generation in the village has had many communication projects contributing to preserving original data, sharing documents so that people and tourists can better understand the village. In particular, a group of Hanh Thien's children far from home have coordinated with units to implement the program of Digitizing Hanh Thien village heritage, building the website langhangthien.vn / langhanhthien.chonthieng.vn, digitizing images and clips about the relics, history, architecture, culture of the village... Local people or tourists only need to scan the QR-code provided in public places around the village to be able to visit Hanh Thien village online. The project aims to create other forms of life for original documents, preserve and extend the life of documents, making it convenient for people to learn about the village through smartphones. Information about history, culture, and daily activities are updated on Fanpage, website, etc., helping people feel connected and living with their homeland even though they are far away.
The good traditional cultural values of Hang Thien village are still being promoted by successive generations in many forms, preserving the long-standing traditions of the countryside that was once awarded "My tuc kha phong" by King Tu Duc and named Hanh Thien by King Minh Mang.
Article and photos: Dieu Linh
Source: https://baonamdinh.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/202504/hanh-thien-gin-giu-va-phat-huygia-tri-van-hoa-truyen-thong-53c5f35/
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