The traditional festival of Bong Dien, Tan Lap commune (Vu Thu) with the water procession on the Red River and the palanquin procession to the tomb of the female general Que Hoa during the festival days from the 13th to the 15th of the third lunar month (May 2 - 4, 2023) is a unique festival, attracting local people, children far from home and tourists to participate enthusiastically. With a sincere heart for the heroes who have made great contributions to their homeland and country, the people here organize a solemn festival, reminding their descendants to always turn to their ancestors and roots.
National historical and cultural relic complex of Bong Dien temple.
Bong Dien Communal House is the place to worship the Two Generals who were awarded titles by successive feudal dynasties. Bong Dien Temple is the place to worship Princess Que Hoa, a female general of the Hai Ba Trung period who, together with General Bat Nan and female general Le Chan, fought against the invading Eastern Han army.
According to legend, when she was 8 years old, Que Hoa went to seek a teacher to study. Although she was young, she was well-educated and talented, well-versed in the classics and had great ambitions. With her innate talent, she surpassed the stature of ordinary people. Although she was a girl, her ambitions were like those of a man. At the age of 16, many people proposed to marry her, but she did not accept them and focused her mind on great things. Hearing that her father was murdered by the enemy, female general Que Hoa brought all her soldiers and General Bat Nan back to Hai Ba Trung to "pay her debt to the country and avenge her family", participating in the uprising and achieving many feats. During the bloody battle, determined not to fall into the enemy's hands, Que Hoa jumped into the river and committed suicide. Her body floated to the Huong Dien River. The villagers mourned and built a tomb and burned incense to worship her.
Every year, the traditional Bong Dien festival takes place from the 13th to the 15th of the third lunar month to commemorate the day when female general Que Hoa set out to fight the enemy, praying for the Holy Mother to bless the country with peace and prosperity. This is also an opportunity to meet the spiritual needs of all the people in the region as well as visitors from all over the world.
Mr. Nguyen Song Toan, Organizing Committee of Bong Dien Traditional Festival 2023 informed: We organize the festival with a high sense of responsibility, preserving the traditions of our ancestors. In gratitude for the great contributions of our ancestors, all cadres, people of Tan Lap commune, neighboring communes and tourists from all over the country came to participate in large numbers. After 6 years, the procession took place, everyone was excited with a sincere heart. Hopefully, the traditional festival, a beautiful feature of the village, will always be preserved and promoted.
Visitors attending the festival respectfully offer incense to commemorate the great contributions of their ancestors.
According to Mr. Toan, according to traditional rules, the water procession has 6 palanquins, including the long dinh palanquin, the bat cong palanquin, the hammock palanquin, the rear-panel palanquin... with the palanquin-carrying team being young men in the village. To carry out the palanquin procession, before the festival day, the villagers must choose the palanquin-carrying team to be young men with good health, tall, clean and prestigious families in the village. They are trained to carry the palanquin procession skillfully and thoughtfully. The palanquin departs from the communal house yard, up the dike and then to the ferry to get water from the clean and pure water of the Red River. The festival is an occasion for descendants, no matter where they are, to return to reunite, wholeheartedly respect their ancestors, and remember the heroes who have contributed to the people and the country. The procession with the long processions on the dike has created a familiar bustling scene of village life. For generations, the water procession has been an indispensable traditional ritual in the Bong Dien festival, reminding descendants to preserve the tradition of drinking water and remembering its source.
Participating in the procession, Ta Dinh Toan, a local resident, excitedly shared: This year is the first year I have participated in the traditional festival as a family member, I really want to contribute to preserving the traditional beauty of my hometown. In addition to the procession of my village and commune, this year's procession also has many other local groups, I feel very proud of my hometown with the traditional festival commemorating the great contributions of female general Que Hoa.
Ms. Tran Thi Thi, a local resident, said: The people are very excited, it has been 6 years since they have been able to participate in the procession, so even though their children work and live far away from home, they are all eager to return in large numbers. I followed the palanquin and called on the Saint to pray for him to bless the brothers and sisters kneeling on the palanquin to walk solemnly, to go quickly and return quickly, to arrive safely, to pray for the villagers to have a bountiful harvest, for every family to be warm and happy. I hope the festival will last forever, and that every year the people can join the palanquin procession.
Procession ritual in the traditional Bong Dien festival.
During the days of the traditional Bong Dien festival, in addition to the unique sacrificial rituals, there is also a football tournament with 8 participating teams, attracting visitors from all over the country and people to come and cheer enthusiastically.
Mr. Tran Trong Thinh, Head of the Bong Dien Football Tournament Organizing Committee, shared: Every year on traditional festival days, we regularly organize football tournaments for young people inside and outside the commune to exchange with the noble spirit of sportsmanship . This is a festival to strengthen the spirit of solidarity, together preserving the traditions of the homeland.
Excited by traditional festivals with profound humanistic values, the people of Tan Lap commune (Vu Thu) hope that the Bong Dien festival, which has been preserved by generations, will soon be recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage, thereby contributing to promoting the potential and strengths of spiritual tourism development not only of Vu Thu but also of Thai Binh province in the process of building an advanced Vietnamese culture imbued with national identity.
Tu Anh
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