Go to Phu Xa village to see Ky Phuc festival

People come to offer incense at the festival of Ky Phuc Thanh Hoang of Ly Kim Ngo village, Xuan Lap commune (Tho Xuan).

Going back in history, the Supreme God of Fortune Ly Kim Ngo was born in the year of the Cat 1183 and died in the year of the Tiger 1206 in Phuc Ha village (now Phu Xa village, Xuan Lap commune). Under the Ly dynasty, he was a talented general who had the merit of repelling the Ai Lao invaders who invaded our country at that time. After his achievements, he refused the titles in the court, asked to return to his hometown and the king agreed to grant him the Phuc Ha village - the land where he was born, Thang Moc land. After his death, the king bestowed on him the title "My Tu Supreme God of Fortune". Since then, the people of the ancient Phuc Ha village, Phu Xa village, Xuan Lap commune today have always remembered the merit of the talented general who had the merit of repelling foreign invaders and honored him as the village's tutelary god, bringing his spirit tablet to worship at Phu Xa village communal house. The Ky Phuc Festival of Phu Xa village's tutelary god is held on February 4 (lunar calendar) every year. It is the village's traditional festival to honor the merits of tutelary god Ly Kim Ngo.

According to the book “Vietnamese customs” by Phan Ke Binh, published by Literature Publishing House in 2006, about the Ky Phuc festival, the Ky Phuc festival was originally the Ky Phuc ceremony - a popular ceremony in the Red River Delta and North Central Vietnam. Every year, in the four seasons or two seasons of spring and autumn, there is a week of great ceremony called Ky Phuc ceremony, which means praying for the people to be safe and sound...”. The word Ky is understood as a periodic, annual event at a certain time. The word Phuc means “good things” or “lucky things”.

The festival of the Ly Kim Ngo village's tutelary god in the year of At Ty - 2025 is solemnly, meaningfully and practically organized. The festival takes place in two parts: ceremony and festival. The ceremony part takes place solemnly with the traditional palanquin procession and offering rituals to the village's tutelary god; the festival part consists of exciting folk games and performances, with many unique activities such as cultural exchange, arts, sports, cockfighting folk games... attracting a large number of people and tourists to participate.

Party Secretary and Chairman of the People's Committee of Xuan Lap Commune, Le Dinh Hai, said: “The Ky Phuc Festival of Phu Xa Village Communal House is imbued with humanity and the unique folk cultural identity of Vietnamese villages. During the festival, local people as well as children of the homeland who are studying, working and working in all parts of the country and visitors from all over the country have the opportunity to gather, express their gratitude and commemorate the contributions of the previous generations who fought off foreign invaders. Through the festival, it has contributed to helping people enhance their patriotism, community solidarity, and foster village and neighborhood affection to together preserve, protect and build their homeland to develop more and more.”

Xuan Lap Commune is known as a land of "spiritual land and talented people", not only the birthplace of the national hero Emperor Le Dai Hanh, along with many talented people, but also a land rich in historical traditions with spiritual cultural works, traditional festivals that have been preserved and promoted by the people for centuries. Therefore, the unique Ky Phuc festival in early spring in Phu Xa is also an activity that contributes to the preservation and promotion of intangible cultural values, meeting the spiritual and cultural needs of the people in the commune and visitors from all over the country, thereby also aiming to build a cultural tourism destination for villages in Tho Xuan district.

Article and photos: Le Phuong

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/ve-lang-phu-xa-xem-le-hoi-ky-phuc-244600.htm