Traditional elephant procession festival at Dao Xa communal house in 2025

On the morning of February 25 (January 28, At Ty year), Dao Xa commune (Thanh Thuy district) organized the traditional elephant procession festival at Dao Xa communal house to commemorate and show gratitude to the saints who built and defended the country. Despite the cold and rainy weather, the festival still attracted a large number of people and tourists from all over the country.

Thanh Thuy district leaders beat the drum to open the festival

Dao Xa Communal House - an ancient communal house built during the reign of King Le Gia Tong (1674 - 1675) currently worships Hung Hai Cong, the 19th brother of King Hung - who was sent by King Hung to govern the Tam Giang region, the confluence of 3 rivers: Da River, Thao River, and Bua River. Hung Hai married Princess Trang Hoa for a long time but had no children. During a spring trip from Tho Van to Dao Xa, he built a tower to stay here for a night. Later, Trang Hoa conceived and gave birth to 3 sons. Immediately after giving birth, Trang Hoa reincarnated, Hung Hai Cong lived alone with the people to cultivate the land, raising his children to adulthood.

Elephant procession from the communal house

Because of his great contribution in teaching people how to control water, grow crops, raise livestock, and build prosperous villages, King Hung gave him two elephants. Before leaving to guard the Song Nhi region (in today's Hai Duong province), Hung Hai Cong handed over the responsibility of governing the Tam Giang region to his three sons and led the pair of elephants to Dao Xa to perform a thanksgiving ceremony three times before saying goodbye.

In gratitude for his merits, the villagers built a temple to worship him and honored him as Thanh Hoang. Every year, when spring comes, the villagers hold an elephant procession for three days from January 27 to 29 (of which the 28th is the main festival) with customs, rituals, folk performances, and folk knowledge to commemorate and express gratitude for the merits of the holy father Hung Hai Cong, becoming a big festival in the region.

The procession is bustling with flags, gongs, drums and fans.

This year's Dao Xa Communal House Traditional Festival, in addition to organizing the ceremony with traditional rituals that are preserved and maintained: elephant procession, incense table, precious dragon, tablet, royal coffin and worshiping Thanh Hoang, also organizes the festival with many unique folk games such as: tug of war, chicken snatching, fetching water, pounding rice, cooking fire...

With its historical and cultural values, in 1990, Dao Xa Communal House was granted the National Historical and Cultural Relic Certificate by the Ministry of Culture and Sports (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism). In November 2016, Dao Xa Communal House Traditional Festival was recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Thuy Trang - Hong Phuong

Source: https://baophutho.vn/le-hoi-ruoc-voi-truyen-thong-dinh-dao-xa-nam-2025-228450.htm