There are still many antiques and ancient artifacts in the communal house of Choi village - a famous ancient village in Bac Ninh.

Khuc Toai, Nom name, is the ancient Choi village of Cham Khe commune, Vo Giang district, Tu Son prefecture (now in Khuc Toai quarter, Khuc Xuyen ward, Bac Ninh city).

Khuc Toai Communal House is located on the southern bank of Ngu Huyen Khe River, facing the Southeast. This is a religious structure that still preserves the original architectural art of the Le - Nguyen period.

Khuc Toai Communal House was originally built during the Le Trung Hung period, and was restored during the Nguyen Dynasty in the years Dinh Mui, Thanh Thai 19 (1907), Quy Suu, Duy Tan 7 (1913), and Mau Thin, Bao Dai 3 (1928).

Currently, Khuc Toai communal house has a Dinh-shaped architectural plan, which is a connection of 5 compartments, 2 wings of the main hall and 3 compartments of the rear palace. The width of the compartments is not equal, the communal house floor is paved with Bat Trang tiles, surrounded by stone pavement.

The frame of the main hall is made of ironwood, connected by 9 sets of trusses in the style of upper gong price, upper beam, lower beam, and long beam. Supporting the frame of the hall is a system of two-pronged columns evenly distributed in 9 horizontal rows and 6 vertical rows, the main column has a circumference of 2.5m, the secondary column is 1.8m and the secondary column is 1m, all columns have a base carved from green stone supporting underneath.

The decorative carvings at Khuc Toai communal house can be compared to the famous ancient communal houses in Kinh Bac region.

Most of the wooden structures are meticulously and creatively crafted by ancient folk artisans. The art of embossing, openwork, perforated carving, and channel carving is still used, and the themes of “four sacred animals” and “four seasons” are decorated, but here almost every mascot is vividly depicted in many different states.

In front of Khuc Toai communal house, Khuc Toan village, Nom name is Choi village, formerly belonged to Cham Khe commune, Vo Giang district, Tu Son prefecture (now belongs to Khuc Toai quarter, Khuc Xuyen ward, Bac Ninh city, Bac Ninh province).

In particular, on the door of the communal house, in addition to the image of a dragon with a horse saddle and a moon, there are also stylized carvings of fairies riding clouds and young girls stroking a dragon's beard. On the system of wooden panels, elephants, birds, and squirrels on bamboo trunks can also be seen... Most of the carvings are imbued with the style of 18th-19th century sculpture.

Besides its architectural and sculptural value, Khuc Toai communal house also preserves many ancient relics created during the Le - Nguyen dynasties, typically: 20 royal decrees for the tutelary gods, the earliest decree was in Vinh Khanh 2 (1730), the last decree was in Khai Dinh 9 (1924), 4 stone steles "Thach bi ky tin" erected in Bao Dai 3 (1928), Bao Dai 8 (1933), 3 sets of worship thrones, tablets, 2 palanquins, altars, wooden incense tables, ceramic incense pots, vases, horizontal lacquered boards, parallel sentences...

Based on the Han Nom documents still preserved at the relic, it is said that Khuc Toai communal house worships three gods: Quy Minh Dai Vuong who had the merit of fighting foreign invaders during the Hung King period.

Legend has it that the two Trung Hue Dai Vuong (aka Duc De Tam) and Dong Vinh Dai Vuong, “During the Hong Duc era of King Le Thanh Tong (1470 - 1497), there was a famous and talented military officer in Khuc Toai village. People do not remember his name, but they only know that after he passed away, the villagers called him Duc De Tam.

While still a mandarin in the court, Duc De Tam became friends with a military general from Dong Tho village (now Dong Tho commune, Yen Phong district).

At that time, bandits in the mountainous regions rose up like bees. The court sent Duc De Tam and a military officer from Dong Tho to go on expeditions many times, and each time they returned victorious. The court also sent the two of them to lead troops to inspect the border areas. Hearing of their talents, the northerners did not dare to look at our country's borders.

After the war was over, the king sent the two of them on a tour of Kinh Bac. While passing through Khuc Toai village, Duc De Tam invited his friend to his house. After many days of fighting in the battlefields and in the mountains, now they could relax and chat in their hometown. They talked all night long.

Early the next morning, for some unknown reason, Duc De Tam suddenly passed away. His friend from Dong Tho village hugged his friend and cried bitterly. Afterwards, he invited the villagers to come and hold a funeral for his friend.

After finishing his work, he returned to the court and submitted a petition to the king asking to appoint his friend as the village guardian spirit of Khuc Toai. The villagers of Khuc Toai were very grateful for his loyalty, so when the Dong Tho general passed away, the villagers also honored him as the village guardian spirit.

That sentiment reached the court, King Le Thanh Tong then bestowed upon Duc De Tam the title of Trung Hue Dai Vuong, a military general from Dong Tho village, Dong Vinh Dai Vuong, and allowed the people of Khuc Toai village to forever burn incense and worship him.

Every year, the Khuc Toai communal house festival is held on the 4th, 5th and 6th of the first lunar month. The festival is an occasion for the people of Khuc Toai to commemorate the merits of fighting foreign invaders to save the country, helping the people to have peace and prosperity, and good crops of the tutelary gods worshiped at the communal house. This is a traditional cultural beauty in the culturally rich Bac Ninh - Kinh Bac countryside.

Khuc Toai Communal House was ranked as a historical and cultural relic by the People's Committee of Bac Ninh province in 2008.

Source: https://danviet.vn/con-la-liet-do-co-hien-vat-co-trong-ngoi-dinh-lang-choi-mot-lang-co-noi-tieng-dat-bac-ninh-20240629140543512.htm