The traditional festival of Dam Ha Communal House in Dam Ha town, Dam Ha district, Quang Ninh province, is one of 36 National Intangible Cultural Heritages recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2023.
Dam Ha Communal House was built around the 17th century in the old Dam Ha market area, more than 1km east of the current communal house location.
In the mid-19th century, the communal house was burned down by bandits along with Dam Ha Pagoda. By the end of the 19th century, the villagers rebuilt the communal house in its current location. The communal house worships: Khong Lo god, Giac Hai god, Quy Minh god, Thai Le linh ung chi god, Dai Can Quoc gia Nam Hai Tu vi thuong dang deities.
In addition to the above gods, the villagers here also worship Ly Thuong Kiet, 12 ancestors of the Hoang and Phan families who have lived for many years in Dam Ha land, and 15 Hau gods who contributed land to build the communal house.
Mr. Chu Xuan Do, Head of the Dam Ha Communal House Management Board, informed that since ancient times, this communal house has been a communal house to worship the village's tutelary gods, admired and worshiped by the people. This is also the center, the only place where the people maintain, preserve and promote the local cultural and spiritual values.
In 1957, due to many reasons, the Dam Ha Communal House Festival was not held. In 2009, the Festival was restored by the district after 52 years of interruption, to the excitement of the people.
Previously, the Festival was held for 6 days and 5 nights (from January 15-20), now it has been shortened to 3 days (from January 15-17 every year).
In addition to the procession and worship rituals of the Thanh Hoang, the Dam Ha Communal House Festival has many unique features such as the procession of 17 vegetarian trays before the procession of the Thanh Hoang; the flag-running ritual around the communal house and temple during the procession; the ceremony of stopping the palanquin to sing while the Thanh Hoang is being brought back to the communal house; the combination of dances during the worship...
Each ceremony is associated with a story toeducate descendants to be grateful to their ancestors, gods, and Buddhas; to teach people to live in harmony, help each other in life, pray for favorable weather, good crops, national peace, and people's peace; imbued with the cultural identity of the residents of the Northern Delta.
One of the most anticipated parts of the festival is the Nha To singing and Cua Dinh singing and dancing (recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2015). This is a special part, an indispensable “soul” of village festivals that has been preserved and passed down to this day.
Mr. Chu Xuan Do added that currently, Hat Nha To owns 39 songs, of which 9 melodies are maintained and passed down by artists through many generations. According to the regulations of Dinh Dam Ha, Hat Nha To - Hat Vu Cua is only performed during festivals and not for public consumption.
Dam Ha Communal House and the temples worshipping the village's tutelary god have an important meaning in the spiritual life of the people here. Through that, educating the nation's tradition of building and defending the country, the morality of drinking water and remembering its source, raising national pride, strengthening community awareness, creating more strength to conquer nature, conquer enemies, build and protect the homeland, and the village and commune are increasingly developed.
Ms. Dinh Thi Tich (a resident of Dam Ha town) said that on the 15th day of the first lunar month, villagers will welcome the god from the sacred Rung Nghe temple to the communal house. During the 3 days from January 15 to 17, villagers will have fun, sing, perform rituals to worship the god, and on the 17th, they will respectfully send the god back to the Rung Nghe temple. As a daughter of Dam Ha, she is very proud and always aware of her responsibility in protecting and promoting the cultural values of beliefs, spirituality, and the beauty of the communal house to preserve and conserve the National Intangible Cultural Heritage.
From ancient times to the present, Dam Ha people who live far away or live locally, no matter how busy, still come back to attend the Proclamation Ceremony on the communal house festival day. This ceremony is to honor the spirit of encouraging learning and talent of the people of the homeland, which has been stipulated in the village customs since ancient times. The spirit of studiousness is still preserved and promoted by Dam Ha people today.
Mr. Le Binh Phuong, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Dam Ha district, said that the Proclamation Ceremony is a beautiful way to encourage learning and talent, encouraging generations of local people to strive to excel in all fields.
The Dam Ha Communal House Festival, recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage, is the pride of local people in particular and Quang Ninh province in general. The event is organized to raise awareness of preserving and promoting historical and cultural values; at the same time, contributing to strengthening the great national unity bloc, meeting the spiritual, religious and cultural needs of people and tourists./.
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