Quang Ngai: Highlights of the Dien Truong Ba Festival

SGGPO June 3, 2023 14:39

On June 2 and 3 (the 15th day of the 4th lunar month), the people of the mountainous region of Tra Bong district ( Quang Ngai province) held the Dien Truong Ba Festival. This is a unique cultural feature that shows the cultural exchange between the Kinh and Cor people that has existed since ancient times and is quite profound.

The Dien Truong Ba Festival is held with rituals such as the royal procession, bathing ceremony, outer altar ceremony, main hall ceremony, incense offering ceremony in memory of ancestors and Holy Mother Thien YA Na.

Participating in the festival, in addition to the Kinh and Cor people, there are also the Chinese, H're and other ethnic groups from the South, Quang Nam , and Da Nang. This is special compared to other festivals in Quang Ngai province.

Ceremony of carrying the royal decree to Truong Ba Temple. Photo: NHU Y

The ceremony is presided over by the village elder, the village chief, and the Cor chief in Tra Bong. During the ceremony, after praying and receiving the royal decree, traditional opera and folk games are organized. During the Dien Truong Ba festival, the Cor people bring offerings to the main hall, then they play gongs and drums and dance ca-dao, while the Kinh people organize lion dances and traditional opera.

The origin of the worship of Thien YA Na (Mother Goddess of the Land) was left by the Cham people when they temporarily settled here, and later became a belief of the ethnic groups. The Chinese called her Thien Hau Thanh Mau, the ancient books of the Kinh people called her Thai Duong Cong Chua, and the Cor people believed that she was the goddess Mo Hwýt.

Costumes in the Dien Truong Ba festival blend Kinh and Cor cultures. Photo: NHU Y

No matter where they are or what they do, on the festival day, everyone attending the ceremony pays their respect and gratitude to the Holy Mother Thien YA Na and other gods who have contributed to the development of this land.

The festival first expresses the message of solidarity among ethnic groups in the process of expanding the territory. The ceremony is followed by a festival with many folk cultural activities with the characteristics of the ethnic groups.

The Dien Truong Ba Festival also organizes many festival activities to demonstrate Kinh culture. Photo: NHU Y

Lion dance team enters Truong Ba Temple. Photo: NHU Y

In 2014, Dien Truong Ba (Tra Xuan town, Tra Bong district) was recognized as a National Historical Relic by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. In 2017, Dien Truong Ba received the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Certificate. At Dien Truong Ba, there is also a 300-year-old banyan tree recognized as a Vietnam Heritage Tree by the Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment.

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/quang-ngai-dac-sac-le-hoi-dien-truong-ba-post692276.html