Sam Mountain Lady's Festival - a story of a goddess

Lady of the Realm - patron goddess

Master Tran Van Dung, Vice President of the Literature and Arts Association of Chau Doc City ( An Giang ), proudly introduced the worship of Ba Chua Xu in Sam Mountain . Accordingly, this belief is associated with outstanding archaeological and artistic marks. For example, the statue of Ba is placed in the middle of the main hall, wearing a colorful crown, wearing a robe embroidered with dragons and phoenixes, embossed beads, and sparkling glitter. Mr. Dung said that the statue of Ba is a work of art carved in stone, dating from the end of the 6th century to the beginning of the 7th century. The statue has a leisurely sitting posture. "The statue of Ba at the main altar has very high archaeological value. The skeleton of Ba is a type of sandstone, weighing from 1.4 to 1.5 tons. In the past, when rebuilding the temple, we had to use a cart, 4 carts at the 4 corners to lift the skeleton of the statue," Mr. Dung said.

Statue of Lady of the Land of Sam Mountain

Thanh Dung

According to Mr. Dung, the decorative and sculptural motifs in the Ba temple are a blend of many different cultural features. In addition to the familiar patterns of trees, leaves, birds, and animals of the South, the wood carving art in the main hall of the Ba temple also shows the motifs of the four sacred animals, the eight immortals, and especially the colors of Indian-Muslim art mixed with Cham and Khmer. In addition, the architectural works around the Ba Chua Xu temple can be seen as factors contributing to creating a festive environment for the Ba temple.

Professor Ngo Duc Thinh's research also shows that the Holy Mother of Sam Mountain and the forms of Shamanism before 1975 contain very rich cultural and artistic values. They are a treasure trove of legends and myths about the gods, a form of musical performance, singing, dancing, forms of decoration, costumes... "From this form of performance, we can see the way of thinking, lifestyle, eating habits (cuisine), dressing, living habits, and rituals of our ancestors, and admire the incarnation of the gods who are historical figures personified by living gods - child prodigies of the Goddess of the Mother Religion who gave birth to the form of music - singing literature", this research said.

Cannot be lost

A study by Master Chu Pham Minh Hang, Ho Chi Minh City University of Culture, shows that local people are both knowledgeable and have strong faith in the festival of Ba Chua Xu in Sam Mountain. Accordingly, 98.6% of people surveyed were able to list at least 3 main rituals in the festival. 92.8% of people surveyed were able to list the main items and offerings used in the festival such as: worship items including crowns, palanquins, necklaces, shoes, offerings such as fruits, flowers, incense, lamps, roast pigs, sticky rice, etc. Only 8.2% of people surveyed did not know or did not know clearly about the main offerings/items, mainly young people, under 30 years old, perhaps because of their young age, they were not interested in the festival in this regard.

They not only do work directly related to heritage, but also manage a miniature society. The state's concern for protecting and promoting heritage values also helps people become more aware of their own heritage.
Associate Professor, Dr. BUI HOAI SON

Most people also affirmed that this festival cannot be forgotten. The researchers asked the question “If this festival is no longer held or is forgotten for some reason, what do you think?”. As a result, 27.5% of people affirmed that the festival cannot be forgotten because it is a strong spiritual support for the people. The rest affirmed that the festival of Ba Chua Xu Mountain Sam will bless the people with peace, prosperity, and favorable weather. Only 7.7% of people surveyed had no opinion on this issue, explaining that “they have never thought about the festival not being held, so they cannot answer”.

Associate Professor Dr. Bui Hoai Son, a full-time member of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Education , said that the people who play the main role in preserving and transmitting the cultural heritage at Ba Temple are the local people. "They not only do work directly related to the heritage, but also manage a miniature society. The state's attention to protecting and promoting the value of heritage also helps people become more aware of their own heritage," Mr. Son assessed.

Meanwhile, Dr. Vu Hong Thuat (Museum of Ethnology) highly appreciated those who kept this heritage. According to Mr. Thuat, in addition to preserving and passing on the above stories and legends, the community also passed on the skills of practicing the heritage. The mausoleum management board has maintained a good practice in selecting people in charge of receiving ceremonial clothes and precious jewelry. In particular, the mausoleum management board not only guides the selection of virtuous, clean, and diplomatic people in receiving ceremonial clothes and precious jewelry from pilgrims, but also passes on the experience of changing old clothes and bestowing new clothes on the Lady.

The festival of Lady Chua Xu in Sam Mountain in Chau Doc - An Giang takes place from the 22nd to the 27th of the fourth lunar month every year. The festival is held according to traditional rituals, including the opening ceremony, the procession of the Lady's statue from the top of Sam Mountain to the temple, the bathing ceremony, the ceremony to invite the decree of Thoai Ngoc Hau and his two wives, the ceremony of paying homage, the ceremony of building the audience, the main ceremony and the ceremony of returning the decree.

In 2001, the Ba Chua Xu Sam Mountain Festival was recognized as a national festival by the Ministry of Culture and Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism). In 2014, the festival was included in the list of national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a traditional festival. In 2022, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism sent the dossier of the Ba Chua Xu Sam Mountain Festival intangible cultural heritage to UNESCO for registration.