Bustling, imbued with national identity at the Bat Trang Village Traditional Festival

NDO - The traditional festival of Bat Trang village has just been recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Like many years ago, the Bat Trang village festival is always bustling, imbued with national identity and welcomes a large number of tourists.

This year's Bat Trang Village Festival lasts for 4 days, from March 12-15 (February 13-16, At Ty year), is one of the unique cultural festivals of the locality and attracts a large number of tourists from all over the country and foreign visitors.

From early morning the atmosphere was extremely bustling.

The village festival is not only an opportunity for people to show their respect to their ancestors, but also an important event that contributes to preserving and promoting the long-standing traditional rituals of the country's famous pottery village; demonstrating the unique culture of the craft village; creating a mysterious, sacred but also extremely lively space.

The children enthusiastically participated.

Rituals such as: incense offering ceremony, Tam Sinh ceremony, Palanquin procession ceremony, Cap Thuy ceremony, Nhap Thuy ceremony and Te Than ceremony... are all organized by Bat Trang village in a respectful and meticulous manner, deeply reflecting the beliefs and spiritual life of the people.

For villagers, the ritual shows gratitude and also reminds them of precious cultural and historical values.

In the village temple, the atmosphere is solemn and sacred.

Participating in the village festival, visitors are immersed in the sacred space, bustling with colors and sounds of a festival worthy of being a national intangible cultural heritage. From early morning, the festival atmosphere has covered the entire pottery village. Spring rain is flying, mist is still lingering, flags are fluttering in the wind, and palanquins are painted red and gilded.

The areas are almost full.

The incense offering ceremony is the most important ritual in the village festival. This is an occasion for everyone to remember their ancestors and pray to the gods for a peaceful life and prosperous business. In addition to incense and flowers, all offerings express deep respect and are presented solemnly, conveying sincerity and good wishes.

Among many items, rice is indispensable.

The highlight of the festival is the ritual of bathing the memorial tablet and carrying the memorial tablet, which takes place from Bat Trang temple to Bat Trang communal house. The ceremony is held in a solemn atmosphere, with participants wearing traditional costumes, bathing together and carrying the memorial tablet to the communal house, where the following rituals take place.

The Water Offering Ceremony takes place on the legendary Red River.

After the incense offering ceremony and the tablet bathing ceremony, the processions will participate in the Cap Thuy, water and foot processions. In a bustling atmosphere, the procession with fluttering flags and bright red palanquins heads towards the legendary Red River. The water supply group boards boats and heads to the middle of the river, where the vast water flows with the scent of alluvium to serve the worship ceremony.

The Water Supply Team sailed out into the middle of the river.

The celebrant, dressed solemnly, stands on a boat, offers sacred water to the river god, filters it through a red cloth into a jar, and brings the water to the ancient Bat Trang communal house, where the water will be used for offerings throughout the year.

The Red River itself has become a symbol of life and prosperity, cherished and preserved by villagers all year round.

The spinning palanquin is a phenomenon that attracts the attention and discovery of the community.

The procession, with flags, incense, and lamps, will pass through sacred sites such as Kim Truc Tu, Uncle Ho's Church, and Mau Temple, creating a grand festival atmosphere. For the locals, it is a journey of respect and honor for the historical and cultural values ​​of the village, connecting generations in the heart of the nation.

The palanquin bearers were carefully selected young men from the village.

One of the indispensable rituals is to present a tray of offerings to the gods above, called the Tam Sinh ceremony. These are items that symbolize the fullness and abundance of life: a fat roasted young buffalo, a fat roasted goat and a roasted suckling pig.

Villagers often call the sacrificial object "sir". The object shows the villagers' gratitude to their ancestors and the gods who have protected and guarded the craft village for generations.

The offerings are goats and buffaloes.

This tradition is associated with historical stories, with the ups and downs of a craft village overcoming many difficulties and challenges to develop prosperously. These are vivid memories of the period when King Tu Duc bestowed upon Bat Trang village the four words: "Hieu-Nghi-Cap-Cong" which are still hung in the village temple today, as a symbol of community cohesion and the merits of previous generations.

The association also has an exchange of Eastern culture.

Bat Trang village festival has many solemn rituals, besides that the festival is also very exciting, an opportunity for people of all ages and backgrounds... to put everything aside, have fun, entertain, and strengthen solidarity in the community.

This is the occasion when villagers eagerly participate in all activities.

During the festival, folk games and sports competitions were also organized and took place enthusiastically, creating a joyful and bustling atmosphere. Mass art troupes performed special performances, from Cheo singing, Quan Ho singing... to folk dances imbued with the cultural identity of the nation.

All offering ceremonies are solemn.

The art festival nights are an opportunity for local talents to shine, and at the same time an opportunity for tourists to participate in the unique traditional cultural space of Bat Trang pottery village.

Each melody, each sweet song, each graceful dance combined with bright lights and a joyful atmosphere have created a lively festival, not only attracting locals but also attracting a large number of tourists from all over the world.

The sound in the festival is also carefully considered and invested in.

The rituals and festivals in Bat Trang all carry a profound message: From the traditional values ​​of their ancestors, people wish to protect and preserve the peace of the community. They pray for prosperity in business and harmony in the family, happiness in each family; peace of mind, peace for the homeland and country.

Bat Trang village preserves almost all festival rituals.

In addition to its profound spiritual significance, the festival is also an opportunity to educate the younger generation about tradition, reminding them of the morality of "When drinking water, remember its source", gratitude to ancestors and the contributions of those who came before. At the same time, the village festival also contributes to raising awareness in preserving and promoting the value of cultural heritage, combining tourism development, creating sustainable economic development opportunities for the community.

Respect and gratitude are always preserved and passed down by the villagers.

With a history of thousands of years, associated with the pottery profession, this village contains many unique cultural values, from ancient architectural works to sophisticated ceramic products, imbued with national identity.

The sale of ceramic products takes place all year round, but during festivals, the village also welcomes a large number of tourists looking to buy beautiful products, meticulously crafted by the skillful hands of talented artisans, to bring home as souvenirs or gifts.

Bat Trang's pride is also in the generational continuity in preserving cultural identity.

Bat Trang Village Festival 2025 both preserves traditional beauty and creates new and attractive elements, such as the culinary competition full of flavors, colors, and emotions, contributing to honoring the image of talented, capable, and skillful women of the pottery village.

Every village festival, the beauty of cultural values ​​continues to be preserved and continued.

This is an opportunity for locals and tourists to come back to their roots, experience the beauty of Bat Trang craft village and continue the cultural values ​​that our ancestors have worked hard to build.

In the modern context, the value of village festivals needs to be affirmed more deeply in order to preserve national cultural identity, become a bridge between the past and the future, and guide people to the values ​​of their roots and profound humanistic spirit.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/ron-rang-dam-da-ban-sac-dan-toc-o-le-hoi-truyen-thong-lang-bat-trang-post864911.html