Visit the Old Market to see the communal house over a hundred years old

STO - After more than a hundred years, My Xuyen communal house in Cho Cu hamlet, My Xuyen town, My Xuyen district (Soc Trang) still retains its ancient and solemn features, and is a place to preserve the cultural, historical and traditional values of the land and indigenous people.

“During the Spring Offensive of Mau Than 1968, the liberation army and the evacuated people hid in the communal house to avoid the pursuit of American soldiers. At that time, American planes were flying everywhere in the sky. When they discovered the liberation army in the communal house, they dropped three bombs on the communal house. But strangely, all three bombs did not explode. Later, American soldiers came to the communal house and brought the three bombs to the open field to test them, and all three bombs exploded. Before that, in 1904, a major storm and flood raged in the provinces of the Southwest, the market was destroyed by the storm, but the communal house still stood firm,” Mr. Kha Phuoc, Vice President of the My Xuyen communal house rituals, began the story about the more than hundred-year-old communal house.

“Before going far away to work, many people came to the communal house to pray for their business to be smooth and favorable. After doing well, those people returned to contribute to the construction and renovation of the communal house. Most of those people are hard-working and diligent people. Their belief in praying for the protection of the communal house gods makes them feel secure, confident, and strive to do business. Together with luck, they have achieved success,” Mr. Kha Phuoc added.

Mr. Kha Phuoc - Vice Chairman of My Xuyen Communal House Rituals introduced the architecture and history of the communal house. Photo: XUAN NGUYEN

My Xuyen communal house is located about 2km from the center of My Xuyen district, about 6km from the center of Soc Trang province to the East - South. According to the elders in the area, My Xuyen communal house was built in the 19th century, with simple trees and leaves to commemorate the achievements of General Tran Van Hoa and the soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect the country. During the reign of King Tu Duc (1847 - 1883), the communal house was granted the title "Bon Canh Thanh Hoang". Since then, the communal house has undergone many renovations and upgrades, including notable milestones: in 1880, Mr. Pham Binh Can, a landlord who was a member of the Ba Xuyen District Council, mobilized the people to join him in contributing and renovating the communal house for the first time. The communal house's Council replaced wooden pillars with rosewood, tiled roofing strips, made decorative sculptures in the communal house and built a guest house to serve the meetings to handle village affairs and organize festivals. In 1941, Mr. Le Anh Quanh - Huong, the head of My Xuyen village, mobilized villagers to build the front of the communal house and the surrounding walls, reinforced the tiled roof, paved the floor with red bricks, and invited artisans to carve 4 dragons wrapped around 4 pillars right in the main hall. The third major restoration was in 2003, when the communal house's management board mobilized funds to roof the communal house in red tol, put concrete on the front of the communal house, and painted and decorated the inside and outside of the communal house to make it look new and spacious. Over the past century, every time the communal house deteriorated, benefactors and people in the area contributed to repair, preserve, and maintain it, so this solemn place of worship has always maintained its spacious appearance.

My Xuyen communal house is an architectural work of art in the ancient communal house architecture of the Kinh people of the South, the gate faces the East - North. In the middle of the communal house yard is the altar of Than Nong, on the left is the temple to worship Than Ho, worship Ngu Hanh. The communal house is divided into three compartments in the shape of the letter Tam, the two sides are covered with octagonal tile roofs covering two corridors. The roof is supported by 4 rows of vertical columns made of cam xe wood that have been there since the first restoration. On the 4 round columns in the main worship room, the artisan has sculpted 4 dragons wrapped around with a very beautiful and vivid mixture of powder and glue. Along the horizontal beams are lime and mortar murals depicting landscapes, patterns and legends. On the horizontal beams are hung 6 horizontal lacquered boards made of good wood, with gilded red letters. Between the 3 communal houses are 8 altars for soldiers, generals, Council, Thanh Hoang, Tien Hien and Hau Hien. The altars for Thanh Hoang, Ta Ban, Huu Ban, Tien Hien, Hau Hien are all made of good wood, painted with gold and decorated with sophisticated patterns. In front of the majestic altar, people built 2 cranes standing on turtles' backs, 1 horse on the right and 1 hammock on the left. It is precious that the communal house still preserves valuable relics such as: dragon cauldron carrying the god's decree, 2 cranes, 1 horse, 2 sets of bronze eight treasures, 7 sets of bronze incense burners, 6 horizontal lacquered boards, 1 hammock stand, 1 bronze gong.

According to the communal house association committee, on the full moon day of the second lunar month, the Ky Yen festival takes place at My Xuyen communal house, which is the biggest festival of the communal house. According to custom, when the communal house is worshiped, the communal house association committee and local people gather to perform the ceremony, praying for favorable weather, good crops, peace for everyone, enough food and warm clothes, and praying for the souls of heroes and martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the country. On the occasion of the festival, the communal house association committee brings a traditional opera troupe to perform for 3 nights, performing ancient plays that attract a large number of people from all over to watch. In addition, during the year, the communal house also organizes the ceremonies of lowering the fields, lowering the pots, and Vu Lan.

In 2004, My Xuyen communal house was recognized as a provincial architectural and artistic relic, as a recognition of the communal house that has been associated with the people and this land for more than a hundred years.

XUAN NGUYEN

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