Thanh Hoa - a land rich in cultural and historical traditions is always proud to be the "cradle" of many typical festivals, preserved and promoted in value. Notable among them is the Le Hoan Temple Festival - a priceless asset in the national intangible cultural heritage treasure.
Drama program reenacts the life and career of King Le Dai Hanh.
Le Hoan Temple Festival - a typical and unique traditional festival of the "Ke Sap" area (today's Trung Lap village) associated with the national hero Le Hoan, the king who founded the Tien Le dynasty. According to many documents, Trung Lap village is located on a high mound like a dragon's body, located between two rivers. Here, more than 1,000 years ago, the sacred energy of the mountains and rivers converged, giving birth to Emperor Le Dai Hanh - the one who built the foundation of independence and autonomy for our nation, ending the thousand-year invasion of the North. As the "land where the king was born", the cultural and religious life of Trung Lap villagers is closely linked to the king's career of building and defending the country.
After the king passed away, to remember his merits, people in many places built temples, including the people of Trung Lap village. The temple was built on the land where the king's family used to live, and every year on his death anniversary (March 8th of the lunar calendar), people come to express their admiration and remember the merits of him and his generals.
As a custom, the Le Hoan Temple Festival is held from the 7th to the 9th of the third lunar month every year, with many traditional rituals typical of local traditional culture, such as: Moc Duc ceremony, Tien Goi Ca ceremony - recalling when in the capital, the king forced the Chinese envoy to eat raw meat, goi ca according to the culinary culture of our country from that time; Boi Tuong custom - recalling when he was a general, King Le Dai Hanh commanded his soldiers to dig trenches and build ramparts when setting up forts and camps; palanquin procession, main ceremony at the temple... The offerings to the king are carefully prepared by the people and made by hand. According to the locals, these products are all associated with stories related to King Le Dai Hanh; they are all local products such as: Banh La, Banh Chung - products of the agricultural community.
The highlight of the festival is the palanquin procession. On the morning of the 8th day of the 3rd lunar month, the people of Trung Lap village will carry the palanquin from the temple to the mausoleum of the National Mother, the mausoleum of the Royal Father... and return to the main temple; perform the incense offering and worship rituals before the main ceremony takes place at the temple. The palanquin procession is elaborately organized with flags, weapons, octet, musical troupe and palanquin bearers, including young men and women carefully selected by the village.
According to custom, the people who participate in the rituals and ceremonies are selected by the elders of Trung Lap village according to strict regulations from ancient times. They are all people with good health, virtue, harmonious families, no funerals or sad events. In particular, the celebrant and the participants in the ceremony are the elders of the village. The preparations are carried out carefully and seriously by the villagers, showing their infinite respect for the king, at the same time wishing that the king will protect and provide the entire village with a peaceful and happy life.
Along with traditional rituals, the Le Hoan Temple Festival is held with exciting folk games and performances recreating the great contributions of the king and his soldiers who protected the country from invasion, such as playing cards, playing cards, jumping on bamboo poles, and playing Xuan Pha and Pon Pong.
Over time, the Le Hoan Temple Festival has become a major festival of the year for the Trung Lap village community, as well as the people of Thanh Hoa. Because the Le Hoan Temple Festival is like a mirror reflecting the life and career of the national hero Le Hoan and the cultural and religious life of the people of Ke Sap. Today, along with traditional rituals, the stage art program is elaborately staged, recreating the life, career and important events associated with King Le Dai Hanh. A typical example is the event of Queen Mother Duong Van Nga putting the Royal robe on the shoulders of the talented General Thap Dao. That event is also the event that opened the birth of the Tien Le dynasty in the history of the nation.
Xuan Pha play is recreated at Le Hoan Temple Festival.
Through the activities at the Le Hoan Temple Festival, a historical period is “opened” and the history of the formation and development of an ancient land with a long historical tradition is clarified - one of the places containing traces of the famous Dong Son culture. Coming to the Le Hoan Temple Festival is a time to find the origin and identity of the nation, so that each person can better understand traditional culture. From there, love and pride in the culture and history of the nation will increase, so that history will always live forever in future generations, becoming the “root” of national love and the “motivation” to contribute to preserving and promoting the heritage values of the younger generation.
The Le Hoan Temple Festival not only has profound cultural and historical values but is also a symbol of community connection and national unity. It is the unity of the mind, unanimity and community sympathy when looking towards the king and the ancestors who have contributed to fighting foreign invaders, building and defending the country. Preserving the Le Hoan Temple Festival is to honor the contributions of heroes and heroes; to preserve traditional culture. At the same time, it educates all generations to always appreciate history and preserve and promote the fine traditions of the nation.
Article and photos: Thuy Linh
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