Unique Festival of 'living kings and lords' procession in Dong Anh, Hanoi

Every New Year, Thuy Lam commune in general and Thuy Loi villagers in particular organize Sai Temple Festival which lasts from January 11 to 15 of the Lunar calendar with a unique opening ceremony of welcoming the real king and lord and beheading the white chicken spirit, attracting a large number of tourists from all over the world.

Sai Temple Festival has its origin associated with the story of King An Duong Vuong building Co Loa citadel in Thuy Lam commune, Dong Anh district, Hanoi. (Source: Dai Doan Ket Newspaper)

Sai Temple historical relic was ranked as a national historical relic by the State in 1986. This place worships Saint Huyen Thien Tran Vu who helped King Thuc - An Duong Vuong build Co Loa citadel.

Legend has it that at that time, King Thuc built a citadel in Viet Thuong land, a thousand feet wide, curled up like a snail, so it was called Loa Thanh. The citadel kept collapsing after being built, so the king was worried, so he fasted and prayed to heaven, earth, and the gods of the mountains and rivers, then started to rebuild. The king asked why the citadel kept collapsing so many times, and the Golden Turtle replied that it was because the spirit of the mountains and rivers in this area had a demon named Bach Ke Tinh (white chicken spirit) hiding in That Dieu mountain. The king and his entourage, including the lord and the mandarins in the court, built a platform to pray to the gods, so Huyen Thien Tran Vu sent the god Kim Quy to appear and advise him on a plan to kill the white chicken spirit so that the construction of the citadel could be completed.

To commemorate the merits of Huyen Thien Tran Vu, the king built a temple at the top of That Dieu mountain, which is today's Sai temple. The temple is also where Huyen Thien practiced, so it is also called Vu Duong Son.

The festival of welcoming real kings and lords is held with the wish for a new year of wealth, success, peace and happiness, and is considered an encyclopedic museum of the rich cultural and spiritual life of the people of Thuy Loi village, Thuy Lam commune in particular and the people of Dong Anh in general.

The person playing the role of the lord has his face painted red to distinguish him from the king. (Source: Hanoi Moi)

To prepare for the Sai Temple Festival, the locals had to choose people to play the role of the fake king, fake lord and mandarins. The chosen people had to be old men around 75 years old and from a happy family. Before the procession, the lord would go to the back of the temple to perform the symbolic chicken slaughtering ritual.

During the procession, following the king was the Tan Ly mandarin, one of the four mandarins who sat in a hammock to participate in the procession. In addition, there were three other mandarins known as the "four pillars of the court" including the Thu Ve mandarin, the De Linh mandarin and the Tran Thu mandarin (all of whom were over 60 years old). They sat in hammocks for the soldiers to carry them throughout the journey.

The king's palanquin was carried by dozens of young people who took turns supporting and cheering, helping to liven up the festival. (Source: Urban Economics)

After being carried from the village temple, the king performed a ceremony to worship Cao Son Dai Vuong at Thuong temple, while the lord paid homage to Huyen Thien Tran Vu at Sai temple. In the early afternoon, the king went back to Thuong temple to prepare for the second procession back to the temple. After the worship ceremony, the "living king and lord" would be carried on a palanquin to the field, the king performed a ceremony to worship Duc Thanh Huyen Thien at Sai temple, then, he and the mandarins returned to the temple. The palanquin of "king and lord" was carried by dozens of young men, descendants of the two people chosen to play the role of king and lord, taking turns supporting and cheering.

The King's Procession Festival is an opportunity for each citizen and each tourist to exchange, sympathize and pass on the traditional cultural values and good morals of the nation so that each person can put into it their feelings and aspirations for a better and more valuable life. It is not only a beauty, but also a priceless asset that needs to be preserved, passed on, maintained and promoted.

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