The Quan Thanh De Quan Festival – A beautiful spiritual and cultural feature in Hoi An ancient town.

VHO - From early morning on July 18th (corresponding to the 24th day of the 6th lunar month), locals and tourists flocked to Hoi An and Da Nang to attend the Quan Thanh De Quan festival. In particular, the procession of flower-decorated floats, lion and dragon dances, and other festivities were eagerly anticipated by many visitors.

The Quan Thanh De Quan festival is held annually on the 24th day of the 6th lunar month at the Quan Cong Temple in Hoi An.

The Quan Thanh De Quan (also known as Quan Cong) festival is held annually on the 24th day of the 6th lunar month at the Quan Cong Temple, No. 24, Tran Phu Street, Hoi An Ward, Da Nang City (formerly Minh An Ward, Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province).

This is a folk ritual of the Chinese community in Hoi An and has become an important cultural event in the religious life of the local people.

From early morning on July 18th, locals and tourists gathered in front of the Quan Cong Temple to participate in the festival.

The festival is also an occasion for people from all over to come and express their respect for the famous general Guan Yu - a symbol of loyalty, trustworthiness, integrity, and righteousness in Chinese culture; a protective deity in folk beliefs, blessing businesses and ensuring prosperity.

In Hoi An, besides the Quan Cong Temple (also known as Ong Pagoda), Quan Thanh De Quan is also worshipped in some assembly halls and in Chinese families in the old town.

The lion and dragon dance performances at each festival are always an activity that many tourists eagerly look forward to watching.

This year, the festival takes place on July 18th with ceremonial activities, incense offerings, parades, and lion, dragon, and unicorn dances at the Quan Cong Temple and along Le Loi, Tran Phu, and Tran Hung Dao streets.

Starting at 6 a.m., the incense burning ceremony began at the Quan Cong Temple historical site, focusing on the statue of Quan Cong. This was followed by the offering of incense and the performance of the Quan Thanh (Guan Sheng) ritual; the Phuoc Loc Thien Association also offered their respects. Local people and tourists came to participate in the incense offering ceremony.

The Phuoc Loc Thien Assembly Hall and the Tu Cau lion and dragon dance troupe paraded along the route from the Hoi An Museum - Le Loi Street - the intersection of Le Loi and Tran Phu - Tran Phu Street - Quan Cong Temple.

Preparations are underway for a parade of decorated floats and lion and dragon dances to mark the festival's anniversary along the streets of Hoi An's Old Town.

Since 2023, Hoi An has officially been a member of UNESCO's Global Creative Cities Network in the field of Crafts and Folk Arts.

The annual celebration of the Quan Thanh De Quan festival not only demonstrates cultural adaptation and creative application in the lives of the people of Hoi An, but also clearly proves the international trade relations and open cultural values ​​of Hoi An, both past and present.

At the 2024 festival, international lion and dragon dance associations participated in performances, once again affirming that the Quan Cong Festival of the Hoi An community has been elevated in scale, promoting international cultural exchange and contributing to the promotion of the beauty of traditional festivals in particular, and Hoi An's cultural heritage in general, to domestic and international tourists.

Guan Yu (Guan Yun Chang) was a real historical figure from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms in China. He was known for his many achievements, loyalty, integrity, and virtue, earning him the praise of his contemporaries: "The hero of the Three Kingdoms was unrivaled, a man of unwavering loyalty and virtue."

In Vietnam, the emperors, especially in the early Nguyen dynasty, erected temples dedicated to Quan Cong in 23 provinces and cities and issued imperial decrees for his worship. The highest divine title bestowed upon Quan Thanh was "Quan Thanh Emperor, Protector of the Nation, Helper of the People, Virtuous and Benevolent, Protector of the Restoration, Great King, Venerable Deity".

The main ceremony takes place from early morning on the 24th day of the 6th lunar month. In the center of the main hall, the offering table displays a whole roasted pig, sticky rice, steamed buns, and many fruits... The altars of the White Horse, the Red Hare, the shrine of Confucius, and the shrine of the Immortal Lord also display many fruits and cakes.

In Hoi An, the Quan Cong Temple was built by the Minh Huong and Vietnamese communities before the Khanh Duc Quy Ty year (1653). For the people of Hoi An, Quan Cong symbolizes the virtues of loyalty, trustworthiness, integrity, and righteousness – the pinnacle of human morality.

According to researcher Nguyen Duc Minh, former Deputy Director of the Hoi An Cultural Heritage Conservation Management Center, Hoi An was once a city and trading port where commercial contracts frequently took place. To secure loans and debts, a place for swearing oaths and commitments was necessary. Legend has it that there were transactions involving buying and selling goods on credit, even large ships full of cargo.

The deity Quan Thanh De Quan in Hoi An, revered by the people, is considered a saint who not only upholds trustworthiness in business and trade but also punishes those who violate agreements and vows.

Therefore, the Quan Cong Temple in Hoi An serves both as an economic court, a place to punish deceit and enforce social balance, and as a place of protection and safeguarding people's livelihoods. The worship of Quan Thanh has a profound influence on the people of Hoi An.

The image of Guan Yu has been adapted in Hoi An, becoming a highly important belief in community life. When people have faith, they will have everything; faith also helps maintain balance in people's actions, guiding them towards Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. This belief has been adapted in Hoi An, becoming a unique cultural feature of the local people.

In previous historical periods, the Quan Cong Temple was cared for and had its rituals performed by the Ngu Huong Minh Huong Council of the commune. Since 1997, the Hoi An Cultural Heritage Management and Conservation Center has directly managed and organized the festivals.

Visitors watch the rituals at the Quan Cong Temple festival held on the morning of July 18th.

Today, in Hoi An, the Quan Cong festival at the Quan Cong Temple varies in scale depending on the time and circumstances, but it is always maintained annually by the community and the government.

The festival is not only an occasion to show reverence to the righteous saints, but also reflects the cultural exchange of the ancient international trading port of Hoi An; thereby contributing to the preservation and promotion of folk religious values, enriching the spiritual life of the residents of Hoi An Ancient Town and visiting tourists.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/van-hoa/le-via-quan-thanh-de-quan-net-dep-van-hoa-tam-linh-o-hoi-an-153471.html