Unique "Sitting Tug of War" ritual at Tran Vu Temple Festival in Hanoi

Tran Vu Temple Festival is held annually on the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month, carrying traditional cultural identity, to express people's respect for the gods.

On April 11 (the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month), the Tran Vu Temple Festival was held in Thach Ban ward (Long Bien district, Hanoi).

The 'Sitting Tug of War' ritual is performed at the festival. (Photo: Thanh Tung)

Festivals are cultural activities originating from people's life needs, contributing to strengthening national unity, always looking back to the origin; at the same time, they are a place to educate historical and cultural traditions for future young generations.

Attending the Tran Vu Temple Festival, people and tourists from all over the world have the opportunity to admire the Huyen Thien Tran Vu statue - a monolithic bronze statue crafted around the 18th century, over 4m high, weighing over 4,000 kg. The statue was recognized by the Government as a National Treasure in 2015 and has become a legend, associated with the history of building and defending the country of the nation.

Along with the national treasure Huyen Thien Tran Vu statue, currently, Tran Vu Temple still preserves 23 royal decrees dating from Canh Hung 44 to the Nguyen Dynasty (from 1740 to 1940) which have been recognized by the Hanoi People's Committee as precious and rare archival documents.

One of the unique cultural values ​​of the Tran Vu Temple Traditional Festival is the "Sitting Tug of War" ritual - a long-standing social and religious custom in the Cu Linh village festival, Thach Ban commune, Gia Lam district (now Ngoc Tri cluster, Thach Ban ward, Long Bien district).

According to history books, the "Sitting Tug of War" ritual is held during the Tran Vu Temple Festival on the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month every year with 3 participating sides: Cho side, Duong side and Dia side.

The unique point of this ritual is that the participating teams sit on the ground to pull, the tug of war sit with legs bent and legs stretched out and sit alternately, one facing one side, the other on the other side of the rope.

The organizers said that the performance of the "Sitting Tug of War" ritual at the Tran Vu Temple Festival aims to bring people and visitors from near and far to admire the ancient ritual of their ancestors, recreating the unique traditional culture, expressing the wishes and aspirations of the people of Ngoc Tri in particular and Thach Ban in general: praying for favorable weather, good crops, a full, prosperous and happy life.

The government and people of Thach Ban ward, together with the Tran Vu Temple Relic Management Board, will continue to preserve and promote the heritage value, so that the "Sitting Tug of War" ritual will continue to be passed down and preserved for today and tomorrow.

Tran Vu Temple Festival attracts a large number of people to attend. (Photo: Thanh Tung)

On December 19, 2014, the "Sitting Tug of War" ritual at Tran Vu Temple was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. In December 2015, Asian traditional tug of war was recognized by UNESCO as a Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity under the name "Tug of War Rituals and Games", jointly submitted by four countries: Cambodia, Korea, Philippines and Vietnam.

According to Vietnam's proposal, UNESCO recognized "Tug of War rituals and games" as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity for 4 provinces and cities: Lao Cai, Vinh Phuc, Bac Ninh, Hanoi, including "Sitting tug of war" at Tran Vu Temple, Thach Ban ward (Long Bien district, Hanoi city).

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/doc-dao-nghi-le-keo-co-ngoi-tai-le-hoi-den-tran-vu-o-ha-noi-267479.html