On the morning of March 9 (February 10 of the lunar calendar), the traditional festival of Nhat Tan Communal House (Nhat Tan Ward, Tay Ho District) took place to mark the grand procession of the gods and celebrate the 760th anniversary of the birth of Duc Uy Do Dai Vuong Tran Linh Lang.
Chairman of Nhat Tan Ward People's Committee Cong Minh Tuan said that Nhat Tan Communal House Festival is a link connecting generations of local people with their homeland's children living in all regions of the country, contributing to preserving and promoting the historical and cultural values of the nation. The recognition of Nhat Tan Communal House Festival as a national intangible cultural heritage is a joy and pride for the cadres and people of Nhat Tan Ward. At the same time, it marks an important milestone, opening up new opportunities for the value of this heritage to continue to spread more strongly and is a premise for Nhat Tan Ward to continue to integrate, develop the socio-economy, and firmly enter the new era - the era of national growth".
Previously, Nhat Tan ward had assigned the festival organization work to residential groups to carry out 10 palanquins. People in the ward had actively practiced for more than 1 month to prepare for the Nhat Tan communal house festival in 2025.
According to historical documents, Nhat Tan Communal House was built to worship the Village Saint Hoang - Duc Thanh Uy Do Dai Vuong Tran Linh Lang, a hero who made great contributions to protecting and developing the land along the Red River. Nhat Tan Communal House Festival takes place annually in the second lunar month, lasting for three days with many special activities.
The most important ritual of the festival is the offering ceremony, in which the village elders perform traditional rituals to express their respect to the Holy Spirit Lang. The palanquin procession is also a highlight when the palanquin is carried from the village communal house through the main streets, creating a sacred and solemn atmosphere.
In particular, a special ritual is performed on the night of February 9 (Lunar calendar) called the "Egg Release" ritual. This is an important spiritual ritual, held to pray for favorable weather and bountiful crops. During this ceremony, the celebrant will perform the ritual of releasing eggs into the river, symbolizing fertility and harmony between heaven, earth and humans.
Specifically, at around the hour of Ty on the night of February 9 (Lunar calendar), the procession will carry a symbolic offering of 7 eggs to be released into the Red River. This ritual reflects the fertility beliefs of ancient Vietnamese people, with the wish that nature bestows life, good crops and a prosperous life. Accordingly, the hour of Ty, according to ancient beliefs, symbolizes fertility. The egg release location is at the confluence of the Red River with many meanings of traditional fertility culture.
Tran Minh Khue (Tay Ho High School) shared: "As a young person, I feel very proud to directly participate in the local festival. This is an opportunity for the young generation like us to be more connected with the cultural and historical values of the locality and the nation and to love the history of our country more."
This ritual is to show gratitude to the water source - an important factor in agricultural life. The procession will move from the communal house to the river wharf, where the elders solemnly draw sacred water to bring back to the communal house to perform the rituals. The location for water collection will be at the intersection of three rivers, exactly at the location where the egg release was performed the night before.
This sacred water is considered a symbol of purity, meaning to pray for favorable weather, national peace and prosperity for the people and the villagers. This water jar has a capacity of 70L and will be used for the activities of Nhat Tan Communal House for 2 years. This is a traditional custom that bears the mark of the wet rice civilization, showing the connection between people and nature and long-standing folk beliefs.
According to ancient tradition, Nhat Tan Temple was formerly called Nhat Chieu Palace, and was changed to Nhat Tan during the reign of Khai Dinh. It is the place to worship Duc Thanh Uy Do Dai Vuong Tran Linh Lang. He was the son of Chinh Cung Minh Duc Hoang Hau, famous for his intelligence and military talent.
During the resistance war against the Yuan-Mongol army during the reign of Tran Nhan Tong, he submitted a petition to his father to ask for permission to march out, establish the "Thien Tu Quan" army, attack and win a resounding victory. After his death in 1300, King Tran built a temple to worship him at his death site and bestowed the title Hien Minh Duc. Since then, to commemorate the merits of the Saint, the people of Nhat Tan have held a festival on the 10th day of the second lunar month every year. In 2025, the traditional festival of Nhat Tan Communal House was honored to be recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage, marking an important milestone in the work of preserving and promoting the heritage.
Nhat Tan Communal House Traditional Festival held a grand procession to celebrate the 760th birthday of the Holy King Duc Uy Do Dai Vuong Tran Linh Lang. Implementing the plan assigned by the Ward People's Committee, Residential Group No. 4 undertook the general procession of the Holy King Giap Minh Khiet Dai Vuong. With the number of people participating in Group 4 being 170, with the high sense of responsibility of the cadres, party members and people of Group 4, the task of the general procession of the Holy King Minh Khiet Dai Vuong was successfully completed.
This year, the festival was held on a large scale, including many unique rituals and cultural activities. The highlight was the Grand Procession of the Gods, with the participation of 10 processions, including the Saint's palanquin, the Holy Mother's palanquin, the offering palanquin, the water palanquin... A total of nearly 2,000 people, including residential groups, organizations, clans and people from the relics participated in the procession.
With its profound historical and cultural values, Nhat Tan Communal House Festival has just been recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. This event not only affirms the position of the festival in spiritual and cultural life but also serves as an important motivation for local people to preserve and promote traditional values.
The recognition of Nhat Tan Communal House Festival as a national intangible cultural heritage not only contributes to preserving traditional beauty but also opens up many opportunities for developing cultural tourism in Hanoi.
Interspersed in the festival are many traditional games and performances such as Cheo singing, Tuong acting, performances of traditional musical instruments, human chess, cockfighting, playing cards, etc. Nhat Tan communal house festival is imbued with traditional culture and national identity, expressing the respect and admiration of local people for Uy Linh Lang, who has contributed to the country and people, defeating foreign invaders to protect the Fatherland.
Nhat Tan Communal House Festival is not only a place for people to express their gratitude to their ancestors but also an opportunity for the younger generation to better understand their national origins. With the attention of authorities at all levels and the pride of the people, the festival will certainly continue to be a highlight in the spiritual and cultural life of the capital Hanoi.
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