Tien Cong Festival (Living Sacrifice Ceremony)

Tien Cong Festival, also known as the “welcoming people” festival, is held annually from the 5th to the 7th of January at Tien Cong Temple, Cam La Commune, Quang Yen Town, Quang Ninh Province, to commemorate the Tien Cong who discovered, reclaimed and established Ha Nam Island. The festival was recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2017.

Please join Vietnam.vn to attend this Festival through the photo series "Tien Cong Festival (Living Sacrifice Ceremony)" by author Vu Tien Cong. The photo series depicts the traditional cultural beauty that has existed and been preserved for more than three hundred years. Every time Tet comes, Spring comes, the clans of the coastal area of Ha Nam, Quang Yen town, Quang Ninh , jubilantly organize the festival to welcome people, also known as Tien Cong Temple Festival. During these days, any family with an 80-90-100-year-old person will have their family bring offerings to the ancestral temple to pay respect to their ancestors, be called Cu Thuong and be solemnly and respectfully welcomed by their descendants to Tien Cong Temple, praying for longevity blessings. The photo series was sent by the author to participate in the Photo and Video Contest "Happy Vietnam - Happy Vietnam", organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications .

The ritual shows the honor of the Ancestors, carrying the culture of worshiping the elderly, the virtuous, the blessed by heaven and earth to live long and healthy. Accordingly, the elderly who are 80, 90, 100 years old will sit on a peach hammock, and be carried by their children and grandchildren to the Temple to perform the Tien Ong ceremony. The rituals and ceremonies to celebrate "Thuong Tho", "Le song cu Thuong", and to carry "cu Thuong" correspond to the elderly who are 80, 90, 100 years old.

The morning of the 7th is the main festival day, many people and tourists come here to watch the unique "welcoming people" ceremony, only available in Quang Ninh.

Tien Cong Temple is a place to worship 19 Tien Cong, who lived mainly by farming and fishing along the lake, along the Kim Nguu River, in Thang Long citadel and Nam Dinh province. In the 15th century, they and their families went down the Red River, to the Bach Dang estuary, gradually discovering mounds and clearing, building dikes, reclaiming the sea to have the developed Ha Nam island region as it is today.

With the traditional identity of drinking water remembering its source with the special unique values of the fairy festival, it is not only a simple longevity festival but also an occasion for descendants to express their gratitude to their ancestors who have contributed to establishing and preserving the village. In 2017, the festival was honored as a national intangible cultural heritage.

In 2024, the Photo and Video Contest "Happy Vietnam - Happy Vietnam" continues to be organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications in coordination with the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists on the website.   https://happy.vietnam.vn is open to all Vietnamese citizens and foreigners aged 15 and over. The contest aims to honor individuals and groups with positive information products, making practical contributions to the propaganda and promotion of a beautiful image of Vietnam to the world. Thereby helping people in the country, compatriots abroad and international friends access authentic images of the country, Vietnamese people, Vietnam's achievements in ensuring human rights, towards a happy Vietnam.

Each contest category (photo and video) has the following prizes and prize values:
– 01 Gold Medal: 70,000,000 VND
– 02 Silver Medals: 20,000,000 VND
– 03 Bronze Medals: 10,000,000 VND
– 10 Consolation prizes: 5,000,000 VND
– 01 most voted work: 5,000,000 VND
The winning authors will be invited by the Organizing Committee to attend the announcement ceremony and award prizes and certificates on live television broadcast of Vietnam Television.

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