Festival in Quang Lang village - an ancient village, the birthplace and place of the Salt Queen, Nguyen Thi Nguyet Anh, wife of King Tran Anh Tong, now Thuy Hai commune, Thai Thuy district, Thai Binh province.
Considered one of the ancient salt villages that still exists today in the Red River Delta, Thai Thuy, Thai Binh province is the only place with a small coastal commune that is home to both a Palace and a Temple of the Lady of Salt.
Quang Lang village is a locality that converges many famous traditions and outstanding relics that are rarely found anywhere else in the country.
Every year, on the 14th day of the 4th lunar month, the people of Thuy Hai are excited in the bustling, sacred atmosphere of the Lady of Salt Festival.
The story of the Lady, the incarnation of the image of a young woman in the past, is still open, extending from legend to real life, from the past to the present, vividly appearing in every worship ritual and especially the dance of Ong Dung and Ba Da, which is imbued with a mystical spirituality.
The Lady of Salt Festival in the ancient village called Quang Lang village, now Thuy Hai commune, Thai Thuy district, Thai Binh province.
The real name of the Lady of Salt is Nguyen Thi Nguyet Anh, born in the year of Canh Thin (1280) in Trang Quang Lang, Tong Ho Doi, Thuy Van District, now Thuy Hai Commune, Thai Thuy District, Thai Binh Province, in a salt farmer family. Nguyet Anh grew up to be more and more beautiful, well-educated and knowledgeable.
Seeing the hardship of farming, she wanted to help her parents make salt in the fields, but every time she went to the fields to make salt, dark clouds would gather and cover the whole area.
Her parents loved her so much that they built her a salt boat, bringing the salty salt of her homeland to exchange goods with all parts of the country.
One hot sunny day, Nguyet Anh's salt boat docked at Long Bien wharf. Wherever her boat went, clouds covered it. The officers and soldiers were surprised and reported to King Tran Anh Tong.
Seeing the stunning beauty, King Tran favored and appointed Nguyet Anh as the Third Royal Concubine. Not long after, she became pregnant but the fetus was over 9 months and 10 days old and still could not be born. King Tran Anh Tong had her brought back to her mother's hometown in Trang Quang Lang, hoping that the cool air of the sea would save the Royal Concubine and the fetus....
Nguyet Anh returned home, her parents were very happy but not long after she became seriously ill, the medicine did not help.
Seeing her sitting by the window every afternoon looking out at the village salt fields, the shepherd children called out to each other to make scarecrows out of grass and dance around her to ease her sadness. Seeing the children dancing happily, she smiled and passed away on April 14, Mau Tuat year.
In mourning for the Third Royal Concubine, King Tran Anh Tong appointed her as a Goddess of Fortune and the people built a temple to worship her, called the Temple of the Lady of Salt.
Memories of the Lady of Salt are passed down to this day. Every year, on the 14th day of the 4th lunar month, the locals hold the Lady of Salt Festival.
These days, people make effigies of Mr. Dung and Mrs. Da, reenacting the old game of children playing to serve her.
The dance performance includes an Mr. Dung and a Mrs. Da representing the parents and two child effigies representing the children. While dancing, the effigies sway, sometimes turning to the right, sometimes turning to the left.
The roles of Mr. Dung and Mrs. Da are coordinated very smoothly. There are times when they face each other, symbolizing the villagers' desire to reproduce. The father and mother Dung walk in front, the Dung children following closely behind.
The bustling crowd walked and congratulated each other. They sang songs praising the merits of the Lady of Salt.
The Lady of Salt Festival in Quang Lang village with a dance performance includes an Mr. Dung, a Mrs. Da symbolizing the two parents and two child effigies symbolizing the descendants...
After a round around the village, returning to the temple gate, everyone excitedly participated in the Dung-breaking ritual. Quickly and strongly, everyone advanced towards the Dung men, each hoping to win them back for their families.
Relatives have at least one bamboo strip, or luckily, a Dung effigy, because the people here believe that in the house, under the boat or anywhere where Mr. Dung or Mrs. Da bamboo strips are placed, it will bring them a prosperous and abundant life, a bountiful fishing season, family happiness and more luck.
Over hundreds of years, the Lady of Salt festival and the Dung procession still retain their unique identity.
In 2020 and 2021, due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, Thuy Hai commune could not organize a traditional festival but only held an offering ceremony to the Lady of Salt; In 2022, when the Covid-19 epidemic was well controlled, the People's Committee of Thuy Hai commune continued to maintain the traditional festival on 4 days: May 11, 12, 13, 14 (ie April 11 to 14, Nham Dan year) to continue to maintain the traditional folk cultural beauty to meet the thoughts, aspirations, and needs of the people's cultural and spiritual life.
Accordingly, on the morning of the 11th, the Opening Ceremony was held, the female mandarin and the people offered gifts, on the 12th, cultural and sports activities were organized to welcome the festival, on the 13th, the people organized offerings and cultural and sports activities, on the 14th, the procession of Lord Muoi, Dung and Dung pha was organized, and the festival ended with the thanksgiving ceremony of the female mandarin team of Thuy Hai commune.
The traditional festival of Lady Salt in Thuy Hai commune, Thai Thuy district, Thai Binh province with the folk dance of Mr. Dung and Mrs. Da is a place to express the wishes of salt villagers for fertility and growth.
Through the festival, people show their respect for the Lady of Salt; at the same time, it is a formof education for future generations to preserve, inherit and promote the traditional cultural values of the nation and locality...
Source: https://danviet.vn/lang-co-o-thai-binh-lam-ra-thu-gia-vi-ca-thien-ha-an-xua-co-co-gai-lang-di-dau-ma-gap-vua-tran-20241015110637663.htm
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