Go to Long Khe temple to see the burning of the giant Dinh Lieu tree

Folklore has passed down the saying: "Dao Dong, Long Khe, To De, A Sao - four ancient landscapes". During the Ly Dynasty, An Khe (Quynh Phu) had a famous beautiful village of Long Khe. Up to now, this land still preserves many relics, of which Long Khe temple has been a national historical and cultural relic since 1990, the festival here is also a national intangible cultural heritage since 2017. The most unique thing in the festival that is still carefully preserved to this day is the ceremony of burning the giant Dinh Lieu tree with solemn, dignified and sacred rituals.

Báo Thái Bình•12/05/2025

Tourists admire the giant Dinh Lieu tree at the Long Khe temple festival.

Beautiful customs

“My tuc kha phong” is the title that the Nguyen Dynasty court bestowed on villages that preserved their beautiful cultural traditions. To this day, when visiting Long Khe Temple, visitors can still see with their own eyes the plaque with these four words, which is like a treasure of the village. The historical relic of Long Khe Temple is a complex of “pre-God - post-Saint” architecture. This place still preserves many royal decrees of dynasties. King Tu Duc bestowed the village “My tuc kha phong”, King Duy Tan bestowed the village “My tuc kha tuong”. Through the vicissitudes of history, the Long Khe Temple relic has been restored, embellished many times, preserving its own unique features in traditional culture. Mr. Do Duong Thang, a cultural official of An Khe Commune (Quynh Phu) informed: Long Khe Temple is the place to worship the National Master of the Ly Dynasty, whose family name is Duong, and whose name is Khong Lo - a person who made great contributions to helping local people reclaim land, control water, and build a prosperous and peaceful life. Coming to Long Khe temple, visitors can still hear poems praising his achievements: " The Duong family has Khong Lo/ They study Buddhism very well/ Giac Hai and Dao Hanh/ Are fellow practitioners of the same mind/ They can go up to the clouds and take the sea route/ They are very proficient in magic/ They recite spells to ward off monsters/ The holy body is safe/ The big bell hangs on the attic/ The verses and sutras/ Will remain for a thousand years/ Their reputation will be passed down forever ".

Long Khe Temple is also the place to worship Thai Uy Ly Thuong Kiet and the general Tran Quoc Tuan - heroes who once came to this land to recruit young men to fight and defend the country. To commemorate the ancestors who contributed to the people and the country, every year, on the occasion of the third lunar month, Long Khe villagers, An Khe commune in particular, and Quynh Phu district in general, enthusiastically participate in the traditional festival of Long Khe Temple.

Excitedly joining the flow of tourists coming to Long Khe temple to offer incense and attend the festival, Ms. Ngo Thi Lan Huong from Hanoi excitedly shared: Coming here, I feel the peace of the countryside, admire the grandeur and majesty of the relic and many traditional rituals in the festival. Thank you Long Khe village, An Khe commune for preserving traditional cultural features, so that tourists like us have the opportunity to experience and keep beautiful memories of the peaceful countryside throughout our homeland and country.

Bright traditional festival night

The Long Khe Temple Festival takes place over many days, but most visitors when coming here often choose the 24th day of the third lunar month as the night to hold the torch procession around the village and burn the Dinh Lieu tree. Putting aside his daily work, Mr. Do Van Toan - a local who lives and works far from home, brought his colleagues to attend the festival, gathering around the lake in front of the Long Khe Temple relic site to admire and enjoy the giant Dinh Lieu tree burning ceremony. Mr. Do Van Toan shared: I would like to introduce to everyone the two words "Dinh Lieu". According to Chinese studies, an unlit torch is called Tieu. A lit torch held in hand is called Chuc. The large torch raised from the ground and lit is called Dinh Lieu. The Dinh Lieu tree in the festival is decorated with patterns such as clouds and two dragons facing the moon, creating a mysterious and sacred atmosphere. This is a massive, colorful work that the people of Long Khe 3 village have donated to, together with the entire village. The Dinh Lieu tree is about 15m high, 1.35m in diameter at the base; and weighs approximately 10 tons.

During the festival night, witnessed by villagers and visitors from all over, the elders of Long Khe village performed the torch-carrying ceremony from the forbidden palace to the Dinh Lieu tree area, respectfully bowed to pay respects and lit the torch. At this time, amidst the bustling cheers throughout the space, the village men used all their strength to pull the flame to the highest position of the Dinh Lieu tree. When the flame burned brightly in the night sky, the whole space was lit up, the people respectfully turned to the traditional festival, praying for the people's health and prosperity.

Regarding the origin of the torch-carrying custom around the village and the Dinh Lieu tree-burning custom, there are many stories passed down among the people. According to legend, when King Tran Nhan Tong and Hung Dao Dai Vuong Tran Quoc Tuan led troops to fight the Yuan-Mongol invaders, passing through Long Khe village, they encountered heavy rain and strong winds. King Tran ordered the troops to stop and rest for a night at Long Khe temple. That night, King Tran was helped by the National Master Duong in a dream. When he woke up from the dream, the king ordered his generals and soldiers to gather the villagers in the temple yard to listen to the king's message. Many large torches were gathered in the temple yard, lighting up the sky. In that battle, the Tran army fought bravely and defeated the Yuan-Mongol invaders. After the victory song, King Tran Nhan Tong conferred Duong Khong Lo as Nam Thien Thanh To and ordered the people here to re-create the mysterious and spiritual atmosphere every year on the 24th day of the third lunar month.

Like many traditional village festivals, Long Khe Temple Festival with its stories imbued with spirituality and mystery, attracts more and more tourists to experience and learn. Amidst the hustle and bustle of life, traditional cultural values become a solid foundation, so that every festival season, people far from home make an appointment to return to join hands with local people to preserve and promote the intangible cultural heritage of their homeland.