Highlights of the Ho village communal house blessing festival

It has become a tradition that the Ho village communal house blessing festival, Tho Thanh commune (Thuong Xuan) is held by the people of Ho village on the 13th of February, the 5th of April and the 21st and 22nd of August of the lunar calendar every year, to pray for blessings, peace and harmony. This is an opportunity for local people as well as children living far away from home to express their gratitude and remember the merits of the two Supreme Gods Le Phuc Truc and Le Phuc Chan who had the merit of reclaiming the land and establishing the village.

The procession from the village gate to the communal house at the Ho village communal house blessing festival.

According to history, Ho village communal house was built since the village was founded, in 1635 the communal house was rebuilt with bamboo and thatch. In 1907, it was renovated for the first time, in 1927 it was further renovated and completed in 1937. Ho village communal house belongs to Hong Ky village today, is the place to worship two Supreme Gods who were awarded royal titles by the court, Le Phuc Truc and Le Phuc Chan, who had the merit of reclaiming the land and establishing the village. Later, the villagers also worshiped Mr. Le Phuc Thanh, a native of Dong village who studied and passed the doctoral exam during the reign of King Le Thanh Tong, Quang Thuan era (1478) and he was called Le Thanh, the local doctoral minister. The structure of the communal house includes the communal house gate, yard and main hall, 19m long, 9.7m wide and 5 compartments, 2 wings, 6 wooden rafters and 4 rows of pillars. The communal house is decorated and sculpted with delicate and flexible lines and moldings such as: cross-river architecture, head-posts, rafters, trapezes, and beams. The mascots such as phoenixes, tigers, horses, dragons, and lotus flowers are also elaborately carved, symbolizing the country, the origin of the nation, national fertility, and the reunion and joy of the people.

The Ho village communal house blessing festival consists of two parts: the ceremony and the festival. In the ceremony, the village organizes a palanquin procession from the village gate to the communal house, worshiping the village's tutelary god and gods, praying for national peace, people's peace, favorable weather, and good crops. While the ceremony of the Ho village communal house blessing festival is organized solemnly and dignifiedly with full worship rituals, the festival is organized in a diverse and rich way, with traditional folk games and performances, such as: Chinese chess, human chess, wrestling, cockfighting, blindfolded duck catching, soccer, volleyball...

The festival of praying for blessings at Ho village communal house is an opportunity for villagers to pay their respects to their ancestors who have contributed to reclaiming and building this land. At the same time, it is an opportunity for local people to always unite, bond and strengthen village and neighborhood ties, encourage each other to develop the economy, and build an increasingly prosperous and happy village.

Article and photos: Khanh Linh

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/van-hoa-giai-tri/dac-sac-le-hoi-cau-phuc-dinh-lang-ho/209803.htm