Traditional Festivals at Some Tran Hung Dao Worship Sites in Hai Phong

Thanh Tu, this pagoda existed before the Hung Dao Vuong temple was built. The front of the pagoda is decorated with bonsai trees with quite ancient rockery and the statue of the gentle Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara with one hand holding a vase of nectar, the other hand holding the Buddha Dharma. The entire temple grounds are located on the hillside, surrounded on three sides by green mountains with trees that the ancients often mentioned. That is the towering Tu Thu mountain, the place where the Duke taught the strategy of fighting the enemy and planted his precious sword, a souvenir for the village here when the Bach Dang victory resounded everywhere.

According to the village chief, Thu Khe temple can be considered the main relic of Tran Hung Dao in Hai Phong because the vestiges attest that this place is truly of high historical value. This location, although it belongs to Lien Khe commune, is actually the place where the sword is kept, not Luu Kiem commune as many people mistakenly think... He also said: Thu Khe village and Phu Xa village (Dong Hai, Hai An) have had a long-standing friendship, because both villages worship Tran Quoc Tuan. As scheduled, around the 15th day of the second lunar month every year, Phu Xa villagers send people to Thu Khe temple to hold a grand ceremony. Likewise, for Phu Xa village, Thu Khe people always go back and forth to worship. And the local people of both regions also understand that this is a long-standing good friendship from the tradition of mutual love of their ancestors. There is a story of unknown truth that says: the friendship between the two villages started from a strange event, when the villagers of Phu Xa built a temple to worship Tran Hung Dao in their hamlet, almost all the constructions were completed but the roof of the temple was not finished. For that reason, the villagers of Phu Xa had to offer a ceremony to ask for incense sticks at Tu Thu. After receiving the incense sticks, the construction was completed quickly...

Thu Khe Temple still preserves some valuable artifacts such as:

- Throne and tablet to worship Saint Tran

- A 28-meter-high statue placed on the throne depicts Saint Tran Hung Dao in the posture of holding court.

- Next to it is the altar, the tablet and the general Pham Ngu Lao (son-in-law of Tran Hung Dao).

- And some other artifacts dating from the Nguyen Dynasty in the early 20th century, including an incense table, a set of incense bowls, a large incense bowl (32 cm in diameter), and a stone tray (45 cm high).

2.4.4.2 Thiem Khe Pagoda historical site

Opposite the other side of Thu Khe temple, across the long mountain range, is a dangerous valley, where Hung Dao trained his soldiers, and the ancients built Thiem Khe pagoda to mark it. Thiem Khe is the name of a village located along the Gia River.

Thiem Khe Pagoda, whose Chinese name is Hoa Linh Tu, is considered a memorial to the Truc Dong victory. The pagoda was built on the high slope of a valley, with its back leaning against Thiem mountain, with Hang pagoda mountain on the right and Mau Ba mountain on the left. According to feng shui, Thiem Khe Pagoda is located on a land that can be used as a throne, with dragon and tiger arms on both sides.

Thiem Khe Pagoda is a Buddhist architectural work built after the third Bach Dang victory (1288). The pagoda has a square-shaped structure consisting of 5 front rooms and 3 back rooms. The Buddha hall is located in the center and is the most important structure of the pagoda. Behind it, there is a 2-room Mother Goddess shrine and a 3-room holy shrine, worshiping 7 village guardian deities.

MOTHER GODDESS TEMPLE

HOLY SITE

HARALLY
		Buddha Temple
FRONT STREET

Maybe you are interested!

In terms of architecture, Thiem Khe Pagoda was destroyed by the enemy during the resistance war against the French, so most of the current works are still very young. However, the pagoda still preserves many precious statues of high artistic value, classified as the oldest wooden statues remaining in our country such as: the Tam The set, the Amitabha Tam Ton set, Quan Am Chuan De, two Bodhidharma statues, Bodhisattva statues, Ngoc Hoang and Nam Tao, Bac Dau, infant Thich Ca and statues of Duc Ong, Thanh Tang. Most notably, Thiem Khe Pagoda also preserves a beautiful 16th century statue of "Quan Am Phu Thien Nhan" which is one of the earliest wooden statues found in our country.

2.4.4.3 Mai Dong Pagoda historical site

Coming to Lien Khe relic cluster, one cannot miss Mai Dong pagoda.

- a memorial work of the Bach Dang victory (1288) against the Yuan-Mongol invaders of the nation. According to legend, Mai Dong Pagoda was built on the land that used to be the forward military warehouse of the Tran Dynasty army.

Mai Dong Pagoda, whose Chinese name is Le Son Tu, is a moderate-sized architectural work that still retains the appearance of traditional folk art. The pagoda is located on the slope of a low saddle mountain range. The pagoda grounds slope along the slope of the hillside at about 15 degrees. The pagoda faces south, and in front of the pagoda are preserved four tomb towers out of more than twenty monk towers of the pagoda.

harem

Front Street

STONE OF HEAVEN

The pagoda's architecture has a familiar 'T' shape, including 3 front rooms and 3 back rooms. There are many rare relics in the pagoda: a system of tower statues; the Tam Bao altar is displayed in the back room on a system of altars built of sturdy, balanced bricks. Mai Dong Pagoda also preserves a number of stone steles, Thach Thien Dai, and ancient documents of the 17th and 18th centuries. Thach Thien Dai is a square rectangular stone pillar (1.65m high, 22cm wide). The top of the pillar is shaped like a round lotus bud on a square head with a narrow base (upper edge 38cm, lower edge 30cm and height 16cm). The upper surface of the lotus head is decorated with beautiful lotus petals, each side has three petals. The stone pillar has two ends in a square head. The upper head, front and back are embossed with dragons and phoenixes facing each other, and the two sides are carved with stylized lotus petals. The square base of the column has a relief carving of an animal playing with its paws on the front, a relief carving of three fish with their heads together forming a three-petaled flower on the back, and a lotus flower on both sides. The column border has rows of chrysanthemum, dragon, and phoenix flowers. The body of the column is engraved with Chinese characters in the square to form a rectangular lotus petal shape.

With the above architecture, it can be seen that Mai Dong pagoda is an indispensable entity of the historical and cultural relic cluster of Lien Khe commune.

Lien Khe was also the base of operations of the Doc Tit insurgents (1885-1887) and the Mac Thien Binh movement (1897-1898) against the French colonialists. During the 9-year resistance war, under the leadership of the Party, the deep caves and high mountains in Truc Dong Lien Khe sheltered our guerrillas to stay and destroy the enemy.

Lien Khe relic cluster (ancient Truc Dong) is the pride of Thuy Nguyen district, of Hai Phong port city and was recognized as a historical and cultural relic by the Ministry of Culture and Information on February 13, 1996.

2.5 Traditional festivals at some Tran Hung Dao relics in Hai Phong

2.5.1 Festival at Lien Khe relic cluster

As a rural area with rugged mountainous terrain, and a strip of plains interspersed with hills, the village exists between two famous archaeological sites, Trang Kenh and Viet Khe, with a history dating back about 2,500 years. Ancient Tong Truc Dong

- Lien Khe today still preserves a very rich cultural tradition imbued with folk identity.

The festival schedule is divided into two periods: spring and autumn, spread evenly throughout the commune, village festivals are held around Tet.

- On January 9, there is a wrestling festival of the commune, held at the wrestling temple of Mai Dong village. In addition, local people also organize many folk games of a noble nature.

martial arts such as: swing playing, boat racing, cockfighting, rowing on the Gia River...

- On March 15, in the Thiem Khe area, there was a ceremony to commemorate the three Truong brothers who followed Hai Ba Trung to fight the enemy. Previously, in the Thiem Khe field, there was a burial of Ninh Vuong Mac Phuc Tu and two other princes. In the lower field, the villagers built a temple to worship the three. Later, the graves and remains were moved to the fields of Cau Tu ward, Thuy Duong district. Therefore, on April 8, there was a ceremony to send off the boat at Ta Ba Vuong.

- On the 20th day of the 8th lunar month, there is a procession of Saint Tran from Thu Khe temple to Duc Thanh temple in the Soi wharf area. This is a procession to reenact the event where he came to this place to set up camp, plan to fight the invaders and leave his sword here.

In the folk legends about Hung Dao Vuong, the symbol of the magical sword is widely exploited. One of them is the legend of the people of Thu Khe area, which says that after the victory, Hung Dao Vuong returned to plant a sword on the top of Thu Khe mountain - where he had previously established a military camp - to record the merits of the local people. The villagers built a temple to worship him.

him, and the couplets in the temple recorded that event:

Loyalty covers the heart, spreading the reputation of Van Kiep Uy with one sword, terrifying the demons.

The sword seems to be a sacred object that gave Saint Tran supernatural power, because all folk stories about him are associated with the divine sword.

After the ceremony, the procession is held (some years it is, some years it isn't). It is worth noting that each year the villagers organize very exciting games during the festival such as rowing competitions, boat racing, wrestling... In addition, swinging is also a popular sport for the local people, enriching the content of the festival.

Legend also tells that after the victory, Hung Dao Vuong returned to Thu Khe and Truc Dong to visit the place where the old battle took place, the people prepared a "qua lo" meal to welcome him. Later, the people here built a temple and every year on his death anniversary, they prepared a "qua lo" meal, displaying a tray of rice and wine, a few plates of fish, inviting passersby to eat and drink, reenacting the welcoming ceremony for Tran Quoc Tuan and the victorious army of the past. That is a unique feature of the festival here, the offerings, in addition to the usual sumptuous items for the warriors who fought the enemy, must include fish, the plate of fish is to remind the ancestors of the Tran family who came from the fishing profession. And the people often organize a palanquin procession on the river to remember the heroic naval battles on the Bach Dang River.

In Thu Khe, there is a custom on February 15th to have a ceremony to pay respect to Phu Xa village (An Hai) because they both worship Tran Hung Dao. For a long time, the two villages have visited and helped each other in daily life.

Lien Khe today is a relic and festival area containing many historical contents directly related to Tran Hung Dao and the Bach Dang victory in 1288. Therefore, in addition to consolidating and emphasizing the content of the festival's actions to be tight and concise, it also makes a strong impression on local people and visitors from all over.

2.5.2 Trang Kenh Temple Festival

On February 27 (January 14, Canh Dan year), at Trang Kenh temple, Minh Duc commune (Thuy Nguyen) - the shrine of the Great King Tran Quoc Tuan, the solemn opening ceremony took place. This is the first time that Tran Hung Dao temple has held the opening ceremony on the full moon day of January. The opening ceremony attracts

Many people and tourists came to attend and ask for the seal.

Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the City Party Committee, Chairman of the City People's Council Nguyen Van Thuan participated in the Ceremony Committee with Most Venerable Thich Thanh Giac.

– Deputy of the Executive Committee of the Hai Phong Buddhist Sangha and General Director of Hai Phong Cement Company Le Van Thanh. After the ceremony of worshiping the gods by the monks, the Board of Directors offered incense in front of the Tran Temple and held the seal opening ceremony. After the seal opening ceremony, people and tourists went to the temple to offer incense to ask for the seal and pray for a new year of prosperity, favorable weather, etc.

The New Year Seal Opening Ceremony is a spiritual tradition of the nation to pray for national peace, health, fame and career. Every person and every family hopes to have the seal of Saint Tran to wish for a smooth year in all work and life.

Every year there are three major festivals, called the great festivals of the year, held at Trang Kenh Temple.

+ Beginning of the year: January 14th, opening the seal

From the 14th to the 16th, a ceremony was held, with visitors from near and far and workers in the company holding a ceremony.

+ August 20 is the death anniversary of Saint Tran.

+ December 14 is the inauguration day of the temple.

Tran Hung Dao Temple has its seal cast here. Every 1st and 15th, anyone who wants to request a seal can come here. The seal is cast at Bao Loc Temple in Nam Dinh and then, with His consent, it is transferred here.

2.5.3 Ve Pagoda and Phu Xa Temple Festival

Towards the Southeast of Hai Phong city, there are many relics bearing the special imprints of Hung Dao Vuong, a prosperous countryside with simple and honest people but always full of pride in the heroic will to fight against foreign invaders since ancient times. Ve Pagoda and Phu Xa Temple are among many such relics.

According to folk tradition, "August Father's Death Anniversary" is on the 20th day of the 8th lunar month every year. At Phu Xa Temple, villagers solemnly prepare the sacrificial objects and rituals of Saint Tran and Bui Thi Tu Nhien to welcome people from everywhere to attend.

During the March festival, which is the month of the Mother's death anniversary (Holy Mother - here referring to Phu Thuong Doan), at Phu Xa temple, people open the temple doors to celebrate the anniversary and burn incense to worship female general Bui Thi Tu Nhien. The 5th day of the third lunar month every year is the day the villagers remember her merits.

On such festivals, Dong Hai people and many visitors from all over come to attend the worship ceremony. Groups of people play the zither, sing betel and betel to the beat of drums and trumpets, they sing in sequence, each wave about the great achievements and merits of Saint Hung Dao, about the stories that make up his heroic and immortal image in the hearts of his descendants. The August festival is very big, the preparation starts on the first day. The ceremony has all the procedures, the people in the relic management board take on this responsibility. In the ritual of the big procession, the celebrant is recommended by the villagers, the participants such as the palanquin procession, the flag-raising are also carefully selected. The festival has folk games such as chess, cockfighting, the villagers play in the temple yard. The offerings to the altar include incense, flowers, fruits, cakes and a very typical dish, grilled rice paper. According to folklore, in the past, to store dry food to feed the army, Hung Dao Vuong used rice paper as the main food because of its convenience and unique flavor.

For generations, the people of Doan Xa - Dong Hai have been attached to the Ve Pagoda of their village and the saints worshiped there. Loving the heroes who built and defended the country of their village and nation, our people with admiration and rich imagination have deified them, giving them all the most sacred and noble things to worship. Through the "Majesty of the gods", farmers express their own strength, at the same time expressing their wish for a mysterious power to protect their peaceful life in the countryside.

In the memories of the people of many villages about the cultural activities of the commune before the August Revolution in 1945, the communal house is often mentioned more. But in Doan Xa, the pagoda is still the center of cultural activities of the people of the three villages of Doan Xa, Thuong Doan, and Van My (now converted into wards). The festivals at the pagoda are held in the following annual cycle:

- January 4: Khanh Ha. Villagers hold a temple festival and hold a ceremony to worship the Lord. During the festival, in addition to solemnly worshiping Buddha and Saints in the temple, in the temple hall, and on the temple grounds, many entertainment activities are also organized such as: funeral singing,

singing a dao, telling happiness, performing cheo...

- January 15th is the day to celebrate Buddha's birthday.

- From January 15 to 24: the temple organizes a "star offering ceremony to ward off bad luck" for villagers and believers from all over.

- April 1st: Summer. Villagers hold a ceremony to pray for cool weather.

- April 8 (now April 15) celebrates Buddha's birthday.

All Buddhist holidays are carefully celebrated at Ve Pagoda according to the announcement of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha. In particular, Ve Pagoda is always considered a relic closely related to Phu Xa Temple, Phu Thuong Doan Palace, two of the "Four Sacred Temples" of the ancient An Duong District, now An Hai District. Therefore, the festival days at Phu Thuong Doan Palace (from March 1 to 15) and Phu Xa Temple (from August 1 to 20). Ve Pagoda is also open to visitors from all directions and is an indispensable spiritual point for those who go to the festival.

In the past, when Doan Xa communal house had not been destroyed, in addition to the festivals held at the pagoda as mentioned above, Doan Xa villagers also held a communal festival at the communal house. Doan Xa communal house is one of dozens of memorial works to Ngo Quyen and the Bach Dang victory in 938 in the land where he had performed his feats in the past.

Doan Xa village festival takes place from the 6th to the 9th of the second lunar month every year. Doan Xa village used to be divided into two hamlets, the East and the North. Each hamlet has its own temple. The East hamlet temple worships Duc Bach Truat, the North hamlet temple worships the God of the Cotton Tree. On the opening day of the festival: On the evening of the 6th of February, the villagers hold a naturalization ceremony, on the 7th, in the morning, the hamlets bring Mr. Bo's pig to the communal house, perform the ceremony and organize the saint's ceremony. This ceremony is carried out by the village's sacrificial team, the selection of people and all rituals take place the same as in other villages in the area. On the 8th of February, the two villages of Thuong Doan and Van My bring their deities to Doan Xa communal house to participate in the friendship festival, the lion dance according to ancient customs. On this day, a joint ceremony is held between the three hamlets, the main celebrant is from Doan Xa village. When the other villages hold the ceremony, the people of Doan Xa also send a delegation to attend. This act of “making friends”, “having friendly relations and exchanging friends” has tightened and strengthened the solidarity that binds villages together in a common cause. On February 9, a ceremony is held to end the festival.

Comment