This is a long-standing relic site and festival, "deeply rooted in the subconscious" of the people.

It can be seen that the temple management board has specific management plans, but why in a sacred place, gambling games are popping up on festival days? Or are there still people practicing superstition, then pickpocketing, robbery, or overcharging for bus tickets, food, drinks, and even offerings have increased.... This is still a difficult problem to solve for the management board of Trang Trinh Nguyen Binh Khiem temple as well as festival managers in Vietnam.

To improve the effectiveness of state management and organization of the festival at Trang Trinh Nguyen Binh Khiem Temple in the following years, in my opinion, management levels need to focus on implementing the following specific solutions:

Firstly, there must be close and regular coordination between levels and sectors in festival management because festivals are multi-sectoral activities.

Second, strengthen the work of ensuring security and safety at the festival, especially ensuring traffic safety to avoid congestion; strengthen the management of cultural activities and cultural translation, and prevent disguised social evils.

She is focusing on disseminating relevant legal documents on the value of relics and festivals to raise people's awareness, thereby helping people have a sense of responsibility to work with the government to organize festivals well, raise awareness of law enforcement and practice civilized lifestyle during festivals.

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Fourth, strengthen inspection and timely handling of violations. At the same time, reward units and individuals who make positive and effective contributions to festival management and organization.

Fifth, localities organizing festivals need to seriously implement the contents of documents issued by the Party, Government, and Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on festival management and organization.

In this chapter 2, the author would like to introduce in a general and truthful way the temple and the temple festival of Trang Trinh Nguyen Binh Khiem. With

The investment in the construction of the relic site as well as the investment in organizing the annual festival has demonstrated the attention of the state, authorities at all levels and the people to the cultural celebrity Nguyen Binh Khiem. Although the management of the relic site and the organization of the festival still has many difficulties and shortcomings, the management board has had and is having policies to overcome those remaining limitations. Through this, the author also wants to contribute some solutions to the Nguyen Binh Khiem relic and festival to minimize the remaining aspects so that the relic site and the Nguyen Binh Khiem festival are more beautiful in the eyes of visitors from all over the world every time they come here.

Chapter 3‌‌‌‌

ROLE, CHARACTERISTICS OF HISTORICAL RELICS AND FESTIVAL OF TRANG TRINH NGUYEN BINH KHIEM TEMPLE IN VINH BAO, HAI PHONG

3.1. CHARACTERISTICS

3.1.1. This is a long-standing relic and festival site, "deeply rooted" in the people's subconscious.

Nguyen Binh Khiem lived almost the entire 16th century, mostly in the countryside, 44 years before becoming an official he lived in his hometown, 44 years after retiring he also lived in his hometown. During that period of time he was close to the people, understanding more about their lives and aspirations. He always advised the people not to imitate the powerful people who lived inhumanely, only cared about profit which would lead to chaos. He also enthusiastically threw himself into organizing and improving people's lives such as opening schools, building dikes, reclaiming wasteland... He and his family also worked hard to break the ground and cultivate. He contributed his efforts and efforts with the people to build shops, build bridges, and plant trees of happiness.

In the conclusion of the Nguyen Cong Van Dat genealogy compiled in the year Quy Hoi (1743), On Dinh Hau Vu Kham Lan wrote: “Oh! In the world there are many kings and wise men. Those people are glorious when they live, but they are gone when they die. But he (Nguyen Binh Khiem) has been around for 7 or 8 generations, recently the scholars and common people admire him like Mount Thai Son, like the North Star; far away, in the Qing Dynasty, Chu Xan said that a person in Linh Nam, well-versed in philosophy, Trinh Tuyen, wrote in a book that was passed down to China, considered a saint in the Southern country .”

With his talent and virtue, Nguyen Binh Khiem deserved to be worshiped by the people, as a man of the people. Therefore, when he passed away (1585), King Mac Mau Hop appointed Mac Kinh Dien (the King's uncle) as a royal envoy, together with the mandarins in the court to attend the ceremony and posthumously conferred on him the title of Minister of Personnel.

Minister, Grand Tutor Trinh Quoc Cong. King Mac also granted the local government 3,000 quan of money to build a temple and granted 100 acres of private fields. The temple was also completed later. People in the area missed him so much that they often came here to burn incense. Every year on the anniversary of the death of the mandarin, Am villages near and far all held ceremonies to pay homage to Nguyen Binh Khiem's merits. The festival commemorating the death of Nguyen Binh Khiem also originated from there, gradually developing and becoming a large-scale festival like today with all the solemn rituals.

More than 400 years have passed, nature and social events have covered up many relics related to the life and career of Trang Nguyen Binh Khiem. However, the relic and Trang temple festival are still an indispensable place for religious activities of people in and outside the region. Participating in the Trang temple festival has gradually become an indispensable spiritual food, it gradually penetrated the subconscious of the people in Trang's homeland.

3.1.2. This is the largest relic site and festival about Trang Trinh Nguyen Binh Khiem. Trang Trinh Nguyen Binh Khiem is a cultural celebrity and a wise man.

Philosopher, politician, pedagogue, forecaster, poet, not only was he a great tree that spread its shade throughout the 16th century, but his name will forever be famous with the country, living forever in the hearts of the Vietnamese people. Nguyen Binh Khiem has shown his influence as well as the respect of the people through the monuments built to worship him. He is not only worshiped in his hometown, Trung Am village, Ly Hoc commune, but he also has altars built in many places such as Met pagoda, Co Am, Hai Phong. He is honored as the village's tutelary god at Thanh Am communal house, in Le Mat village, Gia Lam, Hanoi. At Mao Dien Temple of Literature, Nguyen Binh Khiem has a statue erected along with 5 other famous people, placed in the front with Confucius (Appendix 3). He is even honored by Cao Dai as the first saint of the 3 saints of the religion. Standing next to Vich-to Huy-Go and Ton Trung Son.

Although there are many places to worship him, only his hometown Trung Am is the place closest to Nguyen Binh Khiem's life. This is not only where he was born and raised but also where he lived for the rest of his life after retiring from office to live in seclusion. From Bach Van Am, he composed many literary works, contributing significantly to the country's literature, and from here he also produced many generations of talented students who helped the country. The temple worshiping him is also known as the main church. Built in a relic complex of more than 5 hectares, invested by the state and the city with a budget of up to hundreds of billions of VND. The temple is increasingly built more spacious, worthy of the stature of a famous person like Nguyen Binh Khiem.

The festival commemorating Nguyen Binh Khiem is only held at the Trang temple relic. On the anniversary of Trang's death, people all over the place make a pilgrimage here to pay their respects to Trang. Although the relic and festival commemorating Trang Trinh Nguyen Binh Khiem are held in many places, none are as large-scale and attract as many people as the historical relic and festival in Trung Am village, Vinh Bao, Hai Phong.

3.1.3. This is a relic and festival area with many unique architectural features.

Each temple complex dedicated to a king or a famous person is built with its own unique features, highlighting a part of the personality of the person being worshiped. The same goes for Trang Trinh Nguyen Binh Khiem Temple. The rustic, intimate scenery makes anyone who comes here open their hearts to blend in with nature. The entire Trang temple complex is home to many large constructions: the main church, Bach Van Hermitage, Song Mai Pagoda, Ancestral House, the church of Trang's parents, along with two lakes Thai Nham and Ban Nguyet symbolizing the earth and sky. Three adjacent artificial hills behind Nguyen Binh Khiem's monument can observe the entire area.

relic. Although there are many construction items, they are arranged very harmoniously, naturally and poetically.

What is more special is that the Trang temple relic site not only worships Trinh Quoc Cong but also many other characters such as: behind the main church worshiping Nguyen Binh Khiem is the church of Trang's parents. More than 100m away on the right is the Ancestral House worshiping Mrs. Minh Nguyet, the third wife of Nguyen Binh Khiem. Next to the Ancestral House is Song Mai Pagoda worshiping Buddha. Each place of worship is built in the shape of the letter Dinh (5 front rooms and 2 back rooms), the patterns bearing the architectural features of the Mac and Nguyen dynasties.

A rather interesting feature, different from other relics at Trang Temple, is the statue gardens that vividly depict some aspects of Nguyen Binh Khiem's personality and life during his lifetime. A man who always had a heart full of love for his people, nature, and country.

About festival organization

Trang Temple Festival also has the characteristics of traditional festivals and its own unique features: sacredness, community, locality, and contemporary nature.

-Sacredness:

To form a festival, one must always find a sacred reason. Sometimes a hero falls and dies in that land, then is pushed up by termites to form a tomb, that hero suddenly appears and flies to heaven... sometimes the festival is the anniversary of the birth or death of a famous person, a person who has contributed to the country, village or in a certain field (a fighter, a water controller, a founder of a profession...), but that person is always "divinely transformed" and becomes a deity in the hearts of the people.

They believe that those people can bless them in the aspects that they did during their lifetime and also bless them with good luck.

The sacredness of the Trang Temple Festival is also expressed in the same way. More and more people come to the Trang Temple Festival to pray for their studies, success in their careers... Because during his lifetime, Nguyen Binh Khiem was a talented person, passed the Trang Nguyen exam and held high positions in the royal court.

It is this "sacred" nature that has become a spiritual support for the people in difficult times, as well as giving them optimism that good things will come.

- Community

Trang Temple Festival used to be just a day to commemorate his death, held quite small in the village and commune. But over time, the people's demand for participating in the festival increased, so the Trang Temple Festival was organized on a larger scale at the district and city levels.

- Locality

Trang Temple Festival was born and exists on Trung Am land, Ly Hoc commune, Vinh Bao, Hai Phong. Therefore, it has the strong festival characteristics of the Red River Delta region expressed through costumes, dragon palanquins, flag styles... and has its own characteristics of Vinh Bao: that is, in the organization of the festival, the festival always has the participation of folk games: traditional wrestling, swinging, clay cannons, human chess, Chinese chess, and the art festival cannot lack Nhan Hoa water puppetry and Dong Minh land puppetry.

- Royal character

In the Trang Temple Festival, the person honored is Trang Trinh Nguyen Binh Khiem, who was once an official in the Mac Dynasty. Therefore, the rituals taking place in the festival, from the sacrifice, the incense offering ceremony to the palanquin procession, all simulate the activities of the royal court. That simulation is shown in the grand arrangement of the ceremony, the colorful and splendid costumes, and the solemn movements.

more... it is completely different from normal days, making the participants feel like they are being raised to a different position than normal days, this meets the needs and wishes of the people when participating in the festival.

- Contemporary

Although the festival at Trang Temple is heavily influenced by traditional culture, in the course of history, it has also absorbed contemporary elements. It is expressed in new games such as volleyball, badminton, or competitions for students. In addition, new means have been put into use: microphones, videos, amplifiers... to increase the effectiveness of the festival organization, meeting new needs.

However, there needs to be selective acceptance by the people so that the Trang Temple festival does not lose its inherent traditional beauty.

3.2. ROLE

3.2.1. Satisfying people's religious needs

Besides material life, spiritual life, and ideology, there is also spiritual life . That is the life of people oriented towards the sacred and sublime - truth, goodness, beauty - that people admire, aspire to, and worship, including religious beliefs. Thus, religion and belief belong to spiritual life, however, not all spiritual life is religious belief. It is religion and belief, rituals and festivals that contribute to satisfying people's spiritual needs, that is the "second life", that is the state of "sublimation" from the mundane, existing life.

Modern society with its industrial pace of life, human activities seem to be “programmed” to the rhythm of machines, stressful and monotonous, noisy, cramped but still feel lonely. Such a life, although full of material things, is still dry in terms of mental and spiritual life, a life that is only repressed, “orderly” but lacks openness,

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