Towards the traditional festival of the homeland

In the bustling atmosphere of the days before the Lunar New Year of At Ty, the atmosphere of preparation for the Tran Temple Festival in 2025 is more hurried and enthusiastic. For those who have had a long-term association with the Tran Temple Festival, the tombs and temples of the Tran Dynasty kings, Tien Duc commune (Hung Ha), all preparations are more thorough, hoping that each traditional festival season will be a good impression in the hearts of the people and tourists from all over.

The sacrificial ceremony is solemnly held in the Tran Temple festival.

Warmly welcome visitors from near and far

For more than 10 years, Mr. Pham Van Cuong, Deputy Manager of Tran Temple Relics, has been in charge of looking after the relic, and is always ready to become a tour guide to introduce visitors to the history, formation and development process of the relic as well as the variety of activities organized during each traditional festival season.

Mr. Cuong shared: Our relic management board is assigned very specific tasks, opening the door to welcome visitors from all directions at all times of the year, serving people to offer incense and worship. Practicing a civilized lifestyle at the relic, when there is a group of visitors who want to learn information, we enthusiastically welcome and answer questions wholeheartedly. I always introduce to visitors that this is a special national relic, a place to worship the most brilliant dynasty of martial arts and civil governance in the feudal regime, that is the Tran dynasty that defeated the Yuan-Mongol army three times in the 13th century. This is the place where the Tran dynasty originated and built its career.

With a very specific division of work in the Relic Management Board, whether during the preparation for the festival or on the days of the traditional festival, any group of visitors who need to find information will have a department on duty regularly to explain and guide. The joy for the members of the Relic Management Board is that each festival season welcomes a large number of students from inside and outside the province to participate. In particular, the 2024 and 2025 festival seasons attract hundreds of students from Hung Ha district to participate in training and preparation for the opening ceremony. This is a favorable condition for them to spend time listening to the history, memorable events and milestones that took place in their homeland, thereby increasing their love and pride for their homeland and country.

Students of Hung Ha district participated in the opening performance of Tran Temple Festival 2024.

Preserving the beauty of folk culture

Not only the relic management board, but also the people in Hung Ha district, but also during the Tran temple festival, the Dao Quan Thanh Dong Association of districts and cities in the province are busy participating in the ritual and festival activities. From 2023, when the Tran temple festival is organized at the provincial level, the role of the Dao Quan Thanh Dong Association members in the traditional festival will be further promoted.

Meritorious artist Vu Xuan Thang, member of the Tran Temple Relic Management Board, informed: This year, the Thanh Dong Dao Quan Association of Thai Binh province and especially the Hung Ha district branch will participate in spiritual rituals such as the opening ceremony of the temple, the water procession, the procession... Not only the Thanh Dong of Hung Ha district but also Thanh Dong from districts and cities in and outside the province will attend. According to the organizers' estimates, about 800 Thanh Dong will participate in the water procession and the worship ceremony on January 13, At Ty year. Then, on January 16, there will be a singing festival at the King's temple's central court with the participation of 600 - 700 people. In the afternoon, from 1:00 p.m., the Thanh Dong will perform the practice ritual in the King's temple, in the evening there will be a singing festival and the Organizing Committee will recognize the units and individuals participating in the singing festival at this year's Tran Temple festival.

This is the second year the Hat Van festival has been held during the Tran Temple Festival. According to artisans in the field of practicing this heritage, the festival is held at the special national relic of the tombs and temples of the Tran Dynasty kings, which further enhances the solemnity and significance. Through this, people and tourists from all over the world can immerse themselves in the spiritual space, traditional art and performance to fully experience the solemn and sacred emotions, and at the same time, will appreciate more the precious heritages left by our ancestors...

Meritorious artist Vu Xuan Thang added: In 2016, the practice of worshipping the Mother Goddesses of the Three Realms of the Vietnamese people was recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, Thai Binh is one of the provinces and cities with the heritage. With the meaning of preserving the intangible cultural heritage of humanity, the singing festival is organized to honor the historical values, national heroes in the worship of the Mother Goddesses, praising the homeland and the country. More specifically, this is also an opportunity to pass on and preserve the heritage of our ancestors to future generations.

Traditional festivals are an opportunity for each person to express their love for their homeland as well as their cultural heritage. Going beyond regional characteristics, Tran Temple Festival is not only the pride of Thai Binh people. This is an opportunity for all classes of people to express the morality of "When drinking water, remember its source", to show gratitude to ancestors, kings, generals, royal relatives of the Tran Dynasty and to educate patriotism, national pride and self-respect.