 |
Reenacting the legend of Queen Mother issuing the decree to hold the spring festival. |
The Viem Xa residential area (also known as Diem village) is one of the cradles of Bac Ninh Quan Ho folk songs, home to the temple of Queen Mother - the founder of Quan Ho. According to legend, Queen Mother was the daughter of King Hung. During her travels, she stopped in the ancient Viem Trang region, reclaimed land, established a village, taught the people how to produce crops, and especially created and passed down the lyrical and heartfelt Quan Ho folk melodies. After Queen Mother's death, the people erected a temple and revered her as the Queen Mother - the village's guardian deity.
 |
The water jar was taken from the Cung Temple and the Ngoc Well and brought to be worshipped at the Temple of Queen Mother - the ancestral founder of Quan Ho folk singing. |
Throughout the ups and downs of history, every year, on the 6th day of the 2nd lunar month, the people of Viem Xa residential area joyfully organize a traditional festival to commemorate the contributions of those who pioneered, created, and passed down the melodious and lyrical Quan Ho folk songs, which were inscribed by UNESCO as a Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on September 30, 2009. In 2016, the Diem village festival was included in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
 |
The elders fetched water from the Jade Well to bring back to the Queen Mother's temple for the ceremony. |
This year, the Diem village festival takes place from March 23rd to 25th (corresponding to the 5th to 7th day of the 2nd lunar month) with a rich variety of ceremonial and festive activities such as: rituals, incense offerings, reading of eulogies praising the virtues of Queen Mother; reenactment of flag-running and ball-grabbing; lion dance; drum performances and cultural shows; reenactment of the legend of Queen Mother issuing the decree to open the spring festival... Particularly noteworthy is the procession with the participation of hundreds of people in traditional costumes, walking from the temple to the communal house, then circling around the village to fetch water from the Cung Temple and Ngoc Well to bring back to worship at the Queen Mother's temple.
 |
Singing Quan Ho folk songs on boats during the festival. |
The festival is a vibrant cultural space where traditional values are preserved, passed down, and spread throughout community life. In particular, the Diem Festival is always attractive due to its rich Quan Ho folk singing performances, such as: singing at the Queen Mother's Temple; Quan Ho performances on stage; Quan Ho singing at the Cung Temple and Ngoc Well; singing in traditional houses, on boats, and in the homes of artisans... In addition, there are many folk games such as: swinging, blindfolded pot smashing, chess, table tennis, badminton...
 |
Hundreds of local residents participated in the procession. |
The Diem Festival is an opportunity for pilgrims to return to the origins of Quan Ho folk singing, explore the peaceful scenery of an ancient Vietnamese village, visit historical and cultural relics such as Diem communal house, Cung temple, Ngoc well, Hung Son pagoda... and especially to immerse themselves in the spring atmosphere of the Kinh Bac region with the clear sounds, sweet and heartfelt songs of artists and singers from Quan Ho villages throughout the area.
Source: https://baobacninhtv.vn/bg2/dulichbg/khai-hoi-den-vua-ba-thuy-to-quan-ho-postid441786.bbg
Comment (0)