Preserving and maintaining the traditional festival culture of Hung Lo Communal House

Located on the poetic Lo River, Hung Lo ancient village (Viet Tri city) is a land that still preserves many traditional cultural features associated with the Hung King worship and customs of ancient Vietnamese residents. Among them, the traditional festival of Hung Lo communal house is one of the typical heritages, holding an important position and strong influence in the cultural life of the community here.

The historical and cultural relic site of Hung Lo Communal House - a place to worship the Hung Kings who built the first State of the Vietnamese people, the common ancestors of the Vietnamese people, has been recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2022. Therefore, over the years, with a sincere heart of gratitude for the great contributions of the Hung Kings, the local government and the people here have always known how to overcome difficulties, promote the fine historical and cultural traditions of the homeland, and strive to build Hung Lo into a bright spot for tourism in the province.

Hung Lo Communal House has just been renovated and embellished.

Comrade Nguyen Huu Ich - Chairman of Hung Lo Commune People's Committee said: "Organizing the annual Hung Lo Communal House traditional festival contributes to educating the tradition of patriotism and gratitude to the ancestors who have contributed to building and defending the country. Hung Lo Communal House Festival not only meets the religious needs of the people but also has special significance in the work of preserving and promoting traditional cultural values, contributing to the development of tourism in Viet Tri city".

Located in the ancient village of Hung Lo, which is more than 300 years old, Hung Lo Communal House has long been in the minds of Vietnamese people with customs and practices associated with the worship of Hung Kings. According to traditional rituals, Hung Lo Communal House Festival includes 7 main rituals: Communal House Opening Ceremony (offering incense, cleaning worship objects, sweeping the communal house and surrounding areas); Bathing Ceremony (taking water from the communal house's well to use for communal house activities); Communal House Offering Ceremony (dressing and wearing hats on the god's tablet); Procession of the Gods (carrying palanquins); Naturalization Ceremony (inviting the Holy Kings to come and reside); Grand Ceremony (offering offerings, reading the funeral oration, stating the history and merits of the Holy Kings); Thanksgiving Ceremony (asking the gods to let the offerings be lowered and cleaning up the worship objects, ending the festival).

Many new features in the Hung Lo Communal House Festival in 2024 are organized to demonstrate the tradition of "remembering the source of water" of local people.

Among them, the procession of the gods is one of the most solemn and largest ceremonies with hundreds of people participating in the procession. To prepare for this ceremony, from the Chief, Deputy Chief to the common people and young men in the village who have reached adulthood must "roll up their sleeves" to do tasks such as cleaning the roads, preparing offerings, selecting the chief celebrant and participants in the procession. Every year, this festival is held twice, on the Hung King's death anniversary (March 10) and the Sanctification feast on September 12 of the lunar calendar.

This year, the new feature of the festival that the Organizing Committee has researched and introduced is the organization of a procession of a palanquin carrying Bat Cong, 4 palanquins carrying literature and 1 palanquin carrying local products through 5 residential areas. At the same time, during the festival, the Organizing Committee also restored folk games such as: Cockfighting; chess competition; tug of war; blindfolded pot smashing; Banh Chung wrapping and cooking contest and chicken ceremony contest of residential areas in the commune and especially restored the "setting banquet" ritual at the communal house, then inviting the elderly aged 70 and over to the communal house to attend the banquet.

This is one of the meaningful activities, demonstrating the tradition of “remembering the source of water” of the Vietnamese people, and at the same time contributing to restoring and preserving the traditional cultural beauty of the commune. Mr. Nguyen Van Ha - a long-time resident here shared: “I and the people here are very honored and proud that on our homeland there is the Hung Lo Communal House Historical and Cultural Relic Site. Therefore, people like us are always aware of the value of culture, so people are trying to preserve and preserve that traditional festival”.

By preserving and promoting good traditional cultural values, Hung Lo people not only directly educate the historical and cultural traditions of their homeland to local generations but also contribute to preserving the national cultural identity in a practical way.

Nowadays, Hung Lo Communal House Festival has become an indispensable need in the spiritual and cultural life of local people and tourists from all over the world. At the same time, it is also a symbol of strength and solidarity, preserved, passed down and closely associated with the spiritual and cultural life of Hung Lo people.

Dinh Tu

Source: https://baophutho.vn/bao-ton-gin-giu-net-van-hoa-le-hoi-truyen-thong-dinh-hung-lo-217032.htm