Lesson 1: Cau Ngu - traditional festival

(Baonghean)Editor's note: Each region has its own cultural characteristics. Over time, the culture of the coastal region of Nghe An, on the one hand, tries to preserve the culture of the coastal residents, on the other hand, it is still affected by changes according to the law of cultural exchange and acculturation. To help readers better understand the culture of Nghe An coastal villages past and present, Nghe An newspaper mentions some content surrounding this issue.

With 82 km of coastline, Nghe An - the Central region with Lao wind and white sand all year round, has to face many natural disasters, floods and storms. However, nature always favors fishermen here with abundant resources from the sea, so they have always carried a deep affection for the sea. That is why for generations, the Cau Ngu Festival, held annually, is the biggest festival of fishermen in Nghe An coastal area.

Characteristic of the coastal area of ​​Cua Lo Town, Nghi Thuy still preserves unique customs, practices, beliefs and festivals. Currently, in the ward, there are two temples dating back hundreds of years, namely Mai Bang Temple and Yen Luong Temple - where the annual Cau Ngu Festival takes place.



Fishing festival on Quynh beach.

According to Mr. Truong Van Ngo (83 years old) - Head of Yen Luong Temple Management Board: Every year, Yen Luong Temple has 2 important festivals: Ky Yen Festival on the 15th day of the second lunar month and Luc Ngoat Festival on the middle days of June (lunar calendar). During these festivals, people organize many activities expressing the beliefs and cultural identity of coastal fishermen such as: palanquin procession to welcome the gods, worshiping gods and festival activities: cockfighting, swinging... In particular, Luc Ngoat Festival has become a traditional festival of Yen Luong village fishermen. The festival takes place on 3 days (14, 15, 16) of the 6th lunar month with the ceremony of announcing to heaven and earth, the palanquin procession, the great sacrifice ceremony, and the fish praying ceremony.

For every fisherman here, Cau Ngu Festival is one of the most important festivals, a big festival of the whole village, during the festival days, all fishermen do not go to sea. Previously, the festival took place once a year, but now due to many factors, every 3 years, Yen Luong village will organize a grand festival. The festival takes place on the full moon of the second lunar month.

During the festival, villagers carry the seals of the Lord: Sat Hai Dai Vuong (God of the sea), Than Co, Than Cau (God of the sea)... from Yen Luong temple to the boats at the mouth of the creek to perform the welcoming ceremony. The altar is decorated brightly and solemnly. Every house has an altar with offerings. Each boat is decorated with lanterns and flowers. The village selects a ritual committee consisting of elderly, virtuous people who have prestige with fishermen. The chief worshiper offers the offerings (seafood is not allowed) and reads the eulogy expressing the villagers' gratitude to the sea and praying for a bountiful fishing season and safe return of boats from the open sea. As for the festival, there are folk games of the coastal region: sports competitions, boat racing, rowing. With such profound meaning, in recent years, the Nghi Thuy Party Committee and government have paid great attention and organized them on a large scale to both create a competitive atmosphere for labor production and preserve and promote the traditional culture of the coastal region. This is also the wish of fishermen with the desire to firmly stick to the sea.

Fisherman Tran Van Hanh (48 years old) in block 6, Nghi Thuy said: Through the Cau Ngu Festival, we hope for calm seas, nets full of shrimp and fish, a prosperous and happy life for fishermen, and for fishermen's children to study well and make progress.

The sea gives the villagers life and also challenges about the power of the sea. Nghi Thuy villagers are honest, straightforward, and early trained in a strong character, a strong will and courage, joining forces with the community to overcome natural disasters and enemies. Nghi Thuy village culture is rich and diverse, clearly showing the nuances of the coastal region and still preserving many good customs. On the 15th day of the second lunar month every year, fishermen are present at the village temple to burn incense and pray for a lucky season at sea.

Especially for fishermen, before and after each trip to the sea, they cannot forget to light incense sticks in front of the Whale altar to receive His blessing. Currently, Nghi Thuy fishermen still preserve and maintain the two whale bones at Yen Luong temple. Mr. Truong Ngoc Hai - Vice President of Nghi Thuy Farmers' Association said: The custom of worshipping Whale has existed for a long time among the people here, it has become a belief in the spiritual life of fishermen. After each trip to the sea with a full hold of shrimp and fish, they bring it out to worship "Him". The Whale Temple, through many historical changes, no longer exists. After Yen Luong temple was restored and embellished, people brought "Him" back to worship at the temple.

Along with Nghi Thuy of Cua Lo Town, Son Hai fishermen (Quynh Luu) organize the Cau Ngu Festival at the beginning of the New Year. This is a festival with a long tradition, the origin of which is known to very few people. Son Hai people only heard from their elders that: In the past, this was a festival with the most magnificent nature and scale compared to the surrounding localities, but this festival has been lost for nearly 50 years.

Therefore, today, to restore and organize this festival, the cadres and people of Son Hai commune have had to spend a lot of effort researching, investigating and collecting from a number of other festivals. From there, it has gradually been upgraded and perfected, creating its own mark and characteristics. According to custom, the Cau Ngu Festival was previously held on the 6th and 7th of the first lunar month. However, due to current conditions, the time to hold the festival is no longer mandatory and fixed in terms of date and time. Based on the ebb and flow of the water, on whichever day the water is at its highest and boats can go far out to sea in January, fishermen will hold the Cau Ngu Festival. The festival consists of two main parts: the ceremony and the festival.

The ceremony includes: opening ceremony, announcement, praying for fish, great sacrifice, thanksgiving ceremony at the palanquin procession points such as Trung communal house, Thoi temple, Memorial, Thanh Son pagoda. The festival includes cultural and artistic activities and two palanquin processions. One group goes by water with 7 large boats decorated splendidly from Trung communal house to Thoi temple, one group goes by land to carry the palanquin from Trung communal house to Thoi temple. After that, the two groups gather to perform the ceremony at Thanh Son pagoda and return to Trung communal house. The participating groups wear costumes that show their own characteristics. The festival attracts thousands of people cheering and participating on land and in boats for kilometers along the coast.

Mr. Pham Tien Dung - Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said: Although the organization is different, the Cau Ngu Festival of coastal fishermen always carries a common message "pray for calm seas, full holds of fish and shrimp, and for fishermen's lives to become increasingly prosperous and comfortable. Fishermen always stick to the sea and are ready to protect their homeland's sea and sky, even though the waves are big and the wind is strong, they still have a steady hand at the wheel and oars".

Thanh Thuy