Xa Tac worship ceremony in Hue: praying for national peace, bountiful harvests and prosperity for the people

Held on March 10 (February 11 of the lunar calendar) at the Xa Tac Altar Relic - Thuan Hoa Ward (Phu Xuan District, Hue City), the Xa Tac Ceremony is a royal ritual of the Nguyen Dynasty, to pray for world peace, national prosperity, favorable weather, bountiful crops and a prosperous people.

This is a traditional ritual maintained to express respect to the Earth God (Xa) and the Five Grains God (Tac), expressing the desire for harmony and coexistence with nature. The ceremony promotes humanistic values, in accordance with the ethics of the Vietnamese people, reviving traditional culture and enriching the treasure of Hue cultural heritage.

Xa Tac worship ceremony prays for world peace , national security, favorable weather, bountiful crops and people's well-being - (Photo: www.hue.gov.vn).

It is known that this ceremony no longer appeared after the Nguyen Dynasty ended in 1945 until 2007, but with the cooperation of the Hue Monuments Conservation Center and a number of cultural management agencies and the community, the Xa Tac ceremony was restored in 2008 and has been maintained over the years since.

Since its restoration until now, the Xa Tac ceremony has always been cared for, focused on and organized regularly, thanks to which the values of the Xa Tac ceremony have been preserved and promoted.

Currently, the Xa Tac worship ceremony is solemnly performed with all the traditional rituals, including: quan tay (washing hands and body); leu thuong huong (offering incense); leu nghinh than (welcoming the gods); leu hien duoc (offering wine); leu truyen chuc (reading congratulatory documents); leu tong than (sending off the gods) and leu tu chuc bach soan (burning congratulatory documents, jade, silk, and tablets). After the ceremony, people and visitors can burn incense and pray.

The Xa Tac worship ceremony held annually in Hue is an opportunity to introduce and promote the rituals and cultural expressions of the Nguyen Dynasty to a large number of people and tourists. More deeply, this worship ceremony also demonstrates the morality of drinking water and remembering its source, admiring the merits of ancestors.

After the ceremony, many people offered incense to pray for luck and peace - (Photo: www.hue.gov.vn).

This cultural event not only has profound spiritual significance but also demonstrates the spirit of respecting agriculture, promoting agriculture - the source of life of ancient society. Thereby, contributing to preserving and promoting the value of heritage, demonstrating the humanity and unique traditional culture of the ancient capital of Hue.