Cultural beauty of Keo village

Saturday, October 12, 2024 | 09:09:42

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Keo village is the affectionate name that people often call Dung Nhue village in the past, now consisting of 3 hamlets: Hanh Dung Nghia, Dung Nghia, Dung Nhue in Duy Nhat commune (Vu Thu). Keo villagers not only contribute significantly to preserving and conserving the special national relic Keo pagoda to become a spiritual and cultural destination, attracting tourists from all over the world, but are also active factors in creating, practicing and directly enjoying traditional cultural values in the festival that has become "spring and autumn" here.

The procession of the Saint in the Keo Pagoda festival in autumn with the participation of the elders and the next generation of Keo village.

During the Keo Pagoda Festival in the fall, the life and deeds of the Holy Father Duong Khong Lo are reenacted as a historical performance, preserving many religious rituals but imbued with the nuances of folk cultural activities, including frog dancing and rowing. In recent years, Keo villagers have not only performed traditional dances during the procession of the Holy Father at the relic site but also reenacted them on the stage at the opening of the traditional festival and performed them at the provincial cultural, sports and tourism festival to promote the unique cultural features of their homeland.

As one of the elders of Keo village, for many years, Mr. Hoang The Dong, the Keo Pagoda Festival Organizing Committee, has participated in the traditional rituals of the festival. According to Mr. Dong, the most valuable thing is that the opening ceremony of the temple and the procession of the Saint are still strictly maintained according to the old customs, keeping the original, not mixed. The descendants of Keo village have joined hands to preserve the unique features of the festival. Mr. Dong shared: The preparation work alone takes place for a whole month to ensure that everything is complete, neat and perfect. From the people participating in the palanquin procession, the children rowing boats to the elders in yellow shirts, although they have participated in the traditional festival for many years, before the spring and autumn festivals, they all have to practice everything from walking, lining up to holding weapons so that they are even, beautiful and precise. The people wholeheartedly spend time and effort on the preparation, so that all the ritual activities in the festival are solemn and show respect.

Over 70 years old, for more than 10 years now, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Tham has participated in the procession at Keo Pagoda festival. She said: When visitors come to Keo Pagoda on the main autumn festival day, they are very impressed with the procession, taking beautiful pictures and learning and talking with local people about the meaning of this activity. People in Keo village like us hope to be able to go to the procession of Duc Thanh every year, to show our gratitude to our ancestors and pray for all things to be good. In the procession, there is a group of shepherd children symbolizing buffalo herders. Before participating in the procession, they were taught about the traditional customs of the village by their grandparents. Up to now, in Keo village, the previous generations have passed it on to the next generations.

Not only in festival activities, the enthusiasm and hospitality of Keo villagers have created a good impression in the hearts of visitors from all over the world when they come to offer incense, attend festivals and visit the pagoda. Mr. Nguyen Phuc Tho, a tourist from Hanoi, shared: I have come to offer incense at Keo Pagoda many times, every year during the spring festival and the ninth lunar month. I am very proud of the ancient pagoda of Thai Binh, I introduce it to my friends and personally go with many groups of visitors to introduce this ancient structure with a special bell tower. What is precious is that every time I come to Keo Pagoda, on the main festival day or on a normal day, I have the opportunity to chat with the gentle people and easily find myself some local gifts such as red peanuts and sticky rice, which are products of Keo village, souvenirs of each trip.

Ms. Tran Thi Thuy, a tourist from Hai Phong city, said: The first time I visited Keo Pagoda, following the information introduced on the media channels, I was impressed by the enthusiastic and detailed introduction by the tour guide at the relic, helping me understand more about the history and ancient architecture of Keo Pagoda. The beautiful and poetic scenery and airy space make people feel more peaceful when they return to the sacred place.

The role of the people as the main subject is always an extremely important factor and is affirmed through each Keo Pagoda festival season. From the organization and practice of traditional rituals to the enthusiastic participation in festival activities and the friendliness and civility in reception have left a good impression in the hearts of visitors from all over the world... Because of the main role of the people, the quintessence of cultural heritage imbued with national identity is preserved, passed on and promoted.

Thanh Hang

Source: https://baothaibinh.com.vn/tin-tuc/19/209827/net-dep-van-hoa-lang-keo