According to folk legend and the Nguyen family genealogy in Phiem Ai Chau, Mrs. Phuong Chao was born on February 25, the eighth year of Canh Thinh (1800), in Phuong Chao village, Phiem Ai Chau (My Phiem village, now Khuong My village, Dai Cuong commune). When she was born, there was a strange sign, white smoke covered an area. When she grew up, she became a beautiful and virtuous woman, often prescribed medicine to save people but died young. And when she returned to the afterlife, she often appeared, helping the good people and punishing the evil.
Thanks to her, the ten thousand boat hamlet in Phiem Ai Chau on the Vu Gia River became bustling and prosperous. The people in the area built a temple to worship her, called Dinh Ba Phuong Chao (some people called it Phuong Cho, meaning the ten thousand boat hamlet). Legend has it that in the 5th year of Tu Duc, she went to Phuoc Am village (Binh Trieu, Thang Binh) to help people build a prosperous market, so it was called Cho Duoc. In gratitude to her, the people built a temple to worship her and submitted a petition to the royal court to request her to be appointed.
On the 11th day of the first lunar month every year, people in Cho Duoc area carry the Lady's palanquin, the day she was canonized as a deity.
Since 2021, the Ba Phuong Chao Festival has been recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. This year, the festival takes place over 2 days with activities such as: procession of the lady's palanquin, boat racing, worshiping the spirits, releasing flower lanterns on the river, singing Bai Choi, lion dance and other folk games...
The unique cultural and spiritual beliefs of the Ba Phuong Chao Festival are reflected in the procession of the Lady's palanquin. Usually, on the night of February 24, the people of My Phiem village (now Khuong My) solemnly carry out the palanquin procession and the royal decree. The procession starts from the Lady's Palace in the middle of the village, going to each house in the village with the belief that she will bless the children and grandchildren in the village with peace and prosperity. At the same time, it passes through the main roads of Dai Cuong commune.
Not only the people around the Dinh Ba area in My Phiem village, but also the people in the commune and the children of Dai Cuong compatriots far from home also come back to celebrate the festival. The time of the festival is also the occasion for villages and clans in the commune to organize spring ceremonies, so the children also gather back to their hometown to listen to the village history and enjoy the festival. Through that, they can learn more about the cultural traditions of their homeland.
[ VIDEO ] - The ceremony to worship Ba Phuong Chao was conducted respectfully and solemnly.
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