Thieu Market in Thieu Xa village, Cau Loc commune (Hau Loc) is held only once a year on the 26th of December. Considered a lucky market with spiritual significance, everyone is excited about this unique market.
Story
Located on the right bank of the Len River, on the other side is Binh Lam Mountain, Thieu Xa village, Cau Loc commune (Hau Loc) is a land influenced by Buddhist culture from a very early age. Therefore, there used to be many spiritual cultural works here. The book "Names of Thanh Hoa villages" volume 1, has a passage that says: "In Thieu Xa village, there is a temple to worship Thanh Thieu; Le Phuc Dong temple, Mai Quang Thanh temple, Thuong temple, Sung An pagoda and the temple to worship the village's guardian spirit". Also because of "following" the village name, most of the relics here are associated with the word Thieu.
In which, local documents recorded the origin of Thieu temple very specifically. The Le Dynasty insurgents led by General Le Phuc Dong went to suppress foreign invaders on the Ma River, when they reached the Len River at the foot of Thieu Mountain, their boat ran aground. After ordering the soldiers to take a break for lunch and wait for the high tide, General Le Phuc Dong went ashore and came across a small shrine located right at the foot of the mountain built by the shepherd children of Thieu village. He lit incense to pray for smooth sailing and victory over the foreign invaders. After burning incense, he turned back and saw the rising tide, the boat could go downstream and head straight to Than Phu Gate to fight the enemy. After winning the battle, General Le Phuc Dong returned to Thieu village to celebrate his victory on December 26. Since then, on this day, Thieu market has been opened again.
Special things
Early in the morning of December 26, like other households in Thieu Xa village, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hai went to Thieu market to shop for Tet and did not forget to buy 3 plates of cakes to offer incense. This is a village custom passed down from generation to generation. Standing with her hands clasped in front of the altar, Mrs. Hai reported: “Today, it is the market day, the children and grandchildren in the family have some gifts from the market to offer to their grandparents and ancestors. Thank you for blessing and protecting them so that they can have a favorable year.”
Following Mr. Nguyen Van Loan, Head of the relic and festival committee of Thieu Xa village, we went to Sung An pagoda (also known as Thieu pagoda), where there are many shops with the most people buying and selling. Above is the pagoda and below is the market, everyone, whether selling or buying, goes to the pagoda to burn incense to thank for a smooth and favorable old year and pray for a new year with many blessings. Mr. Nguyen Van Loan said: "Previously, the market was held right next to the river bank, so it was very convenient for waterway traffic with the style of trading on the wharf and under the boat. Therefore, coming to Thieu market, not only people in the region and the province, but also from many other places such as Nghe An, Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Nam Dinh... Later, during the period from 1964 to 1972, the market stopped operating. But from 1973 to now, the market has been held again only once a year".
The market only meets once a year, so not only the people of Thieu Xa village, Cau Loc commune, but also people from other places in Hau Loc district are excited to attend the market to "buy luck and sell bad luck". Thieu market opens from about 5am until late afternoon, with the largest concentration from 8am to 11am. People come to the market hoping to sell off the bad luck of the old year and buy good luck for themselves in the new year. The goods in the market are mainly homegrown, local products... Among them, the most popular are still those selling dong leaves because for the people here, banh chung is indispensable during Tet.
Coming to Thieu market, sellers do not "hungry" on prices. Whatever price is offered, buyers will buy that much. "Basically, the prices here are cheaper than other places. People who come to Thieu market, buy and sell, and play at the market all have the concept that because this is a lucky market with spiritual meaning, buying and selling is mainly for luck. Whether it is a loss or profit, sellers hope to sell all their goods for good luck. As for buyers, they also hope to buy the item they like," said Ms. Oanh, a resident of Thieu Xa village.
A very special thing is that at the end of the afternoon, when the market is almost over, the sellers, regardless of what goods they have left, gather them in one area so that those who are in need can come and get them. The meaning of sharing is multiplied.
Sharing with us about this beautiful custom, Mr. Nguyen Van Hoa, a cultural and social officer of Cau Loc commune, said: "Thieu market is one of the long-standing cultural features that has been preserved in Thieu Xa village for hundreds of years. Nowadays, Thieu market meets once a year to remind descendants to always look back to their homeland and the good customs of their hometown. Therefore, many children of the village, even though they work far away, are still home every December 26 to attend the market."
In the cold, we jostled among the happy and enthusiastic buyers and sellers, choosing for ourselves a small pot of pretty yellow chrysanthemums, hoping for a peaceful and lucky new year.
Article and photos: KIEU HUYEN
Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/cuoi-nam-di-cho-thieu-mua-may-ban-rui-238072.htm
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