About Yen Dinh to see the national intangible cultural heritage festival

Elephant fighting at the Chieng Festival in Yen Ninh commune.

2025 is the first year that Dong Co Temple Festival is held with the title of national intangible cultural festival, so the preparation work has been carried out carefully and methodically. Yen Dinh District has issued a document directing specialized departments, functional branches and Yen Tho Commune People's Committee to strengthen the management and organization of the festival in a safe, economical, civilized manner, in accordance with traditional rituals. At the same time, strengthen inspection and supervision before, during and after the festival, promptly detect, prevent, rectify and strictly handle any violations, negativity, or inconsistencies with the nation's fine customs...

After nearly 50 years away from home, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lien ( Ho Chi Minh City) and her family returned to visit her hometown on the occasion of the Dong Co Temple Festival, so she was filled with indescribable joy. In the evening, watching the cultural exchange in the commune with the clubs, Ms. Lien felt like she saw the shadow of her childhood there. Especially when participating in the procession carrying the Dong Co god from the village to the temple, she did not feel tired but her legs seemed more flexible and stronger. Ms. Lien shared: "It has been a long time since my family returned to visit my hometown, the children and grandchildren gathered to chat, went to see the festival and felt relaxed, proud because my hometown has the Dong Co Temple Festival recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage".

Despite their advanced age, the elders in Dan Ne village - the birthplace of Dong Co temple - are still full of enthusiasm. Many days before the festival, they diligently practice the rituals to perform in the festival, such as: the eight-tone team, the ceremony, the flower-making team, the palanquin-carrying team... In the memories of the elders and the village handbook, the ceremony is considered the soul of the festival. The ceremony team practices very actively. Each ritual must match the eight-tone team; the costumes and walking must be correct in every small detail. The funeral oration must be read clearly, with a powerful tone... Those tasks seem simple but require great care, so all members concentrate to avoid the smallest mistakes.

During the ceremony, villagers carry a palanquin around the village, carry the palanquin from Dong Co temple to Phuc communal house, worship and ask for the spirit of Dong Co god and vice versa. Villagers prepare offerings to Dong Co god to show gratitude for his merits and fully reenact the unique cultural rituals of the land and people of ancient Dan Ne village. The festival takes place with exciting folk games such as: human chess, blindfolded chicken catching, rowing, cultural exchange, mass sports competitions...

Mr. Le Van Cuong, Vice Chairman of Yen Tho Commune People's Committee, said: "Dong Co Temple Festival is a unique cultural event with a history of thousands of years, associated with the national relic of Dong Co Mountain and Temple, in Dan Ne village. The festival is a cultural activity that meets the spiritual needs of the people and attracts many local children and neighboring communes to offer incense and watch the festival. Through the festival, the feelings of children far from home are connected to their homeland, people are close and ready to help each other and participate in local activities".

In Yen Ninh commune, the Chieng Tro festival is held from January 10 to 12 every year. The festival has 4 processions and 12 unique Chieng games such as: choosing a son-in-law, horse racing, elephant fighting, dragon fighting, carp transforming into a dragon, phoenix procession... Of which, elephant fighting is considered the most unique and has become a cultural beauty preserved and organized annually by authorities at all levels and the people. The games are performed by extras who are local people to reflect the working life, fighting, and dreams of the people, associated with the history of fighting against foreign invaders and the name of General Tam Cong Trinh Quoc Bao - who had great contributions in defeating invaders, preserving the country, creating and teaching Chieng Tro to the people in the commune. With its historical significance and unique cultural characteristics, in 2017, the Chieng Tro festival was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Ms. Hoang Thi Van, Yen Ninh commune, confided: "We love the Chieng Tro festival and consider it a part of our spiritual life. We are ready to participate in the games and practice diligently. Everyone looks forward to the festival to immerse themselves in the festival, both to pray for good luck for their families and to contribute to the preservation and promotion of the national intangible cultural heritage festival."

Over the past years, Yen Dinh district has implemented many practical and effective solutions to preserve and promote the value of festivals and relics, coordinating with researchers and professional agencies to collect and restore festival rituals and activities associated with tourism development, local economic and social development.

Mr. Le Xuan Thanh, Vice Chairman of Yen Dinh District People's Committee, said: "The two festivals recognized as National Intangible Heritages, the Tro Chieng festival and the Dong Co temple festival, both affirm their position and influence. Through that, we remind our descendants to uphold the prestige of the gods, calling on everyone to unite to protect and build their homeland and country. At the same time, we promote spiritual tourism destinations associated with economic development and building a cultural life for the people."

Article and photos: Le Ha

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/ve-yen-dinh-xem-le-hoi-di-san-van-hoa-phi-vat-the-quoc-gia-245466.htm