Pu Nha Thau festival features

(Baonghean) - Every year at the end of the first lunar month, the festival is solemnly held for 2 days, the 2nd and 3rd of the third lunar month (ie January 24th and 25th) with rituals imbued with regional traditions, attracting a large number of people from inside and outside the region to attend the festival.

Procession of 9-handle cauldron at Pu Nha Thau Temple Festival.

Pu Nha Thau Temple is a provincial historical and cultural relic, located on the top of a sacred mountain in Na Luong village (Huu Kiem commune). The temple is associated with legends and stories passed down through the generations by the local people. Na Luong villagers say that, since ancient times, Princess La Binh, daughter of Son Tinh and My Nuong, granddaughter of the 18th Hung King, was a virtuous and talented person, always loving and protecting the people. She liked to travel everywhere, often going to the mountains and villages to give advice and help the people, helping the ethnic groups have a peaceful and prosperous life. The people of 9 villages and 10 Muongs greatly admired Princess La Binh and honored the Mother of the Mountains. When the princess passed away, the people built a temple on the top of a high mountain in the area to worship and burn incense all year round.

Pu Nha Thau Temple and Na Luong village are also associated with the event of repelling foreign invaders by Tran Dynasty soldiers and generals in the 14th century. That was around 1335, the Ai Lao invaders crossed the border to invade our country, they burned down villages, looted properties, and killed innocent people. Retired Emperor Tran Minh Tong decided to personally lead troops into the borderland to repel the Ai Lao invaders and appointed Doan Nhu Hai (from Hoi Xuyen village, Tuong Lan district, Hong Chau road, now Gia Loc district, Hai Duong province) as the Governor. When reaching Nam Nhung land (now in Ky Son and Tuong Duong districts), the Governor General of the Tran Dynasty chose a high mountain in the area of ​​Na Luong village, Huu Kiem commune to set up a camp to train soldiers and observe the activities of the invaders. The people here were extremely happy when the court soldiers came to rescue them, many young men asked to join to contribute to repelling the invaders and keeping the village peaceful. Many people in the region contributed their efforts and provided food for the royal soldiers, and at the same time encouraged their children to join the army...

The carving contest at Pu Nha Thau Temple Festival in Huu Kiem Commune (Ky Son District). Photo: Cong Kien.

After hundreds of years of ups and downs, the people in the area have always been conscious of preserving and protecting the sacred temple on the mountain top. Even during the years of fighting the Americans, Pu Nha Thau temple was bombed twice and collapsed, the villagers immediately went into the forest to get wood to rebuild the temple. Mr. Vi Van Luong (86 years old) in Na Luong village, Huu Kiem commune excitedly said: The Thai people in Huu Kiem commune in particular and the ethnic groups of Ky Son in general are extremely grateful to their ancestors who had great merit in fighting foreign invaders, keeping the border safe, keeping the village peaceful and happy. That is why the ethnic groups of Ky Son always strive to preserve the temple as their own home. Particularly in the villages in Huu Kiem commune, people voluntarily look after the temple every day and always do a good job of cleaning the environment in and around the temple.

Not only on holidays, but also on the first and fifteenth day of every month, Ky Son people prepare offerings to go to the temple to take care of the incense. In recent years, there have been many groups of pilgrims coming to admire the beauty of Pu Nha Thau landscape. Because from the top of the sacred mountain looking down, surrounded by majestic mountains, peaceful villages, below is the Nam Mo river winding like a green silk strip creating a poetic and romantic beauty. In the distance is a Muong Xen town growing up. And in the ripe rice season, you can admire the golden terraced fields... All of these beauties easily captivate people's hearts and invite those who love to learn and explore.

Pu Nha Thau Peak festival day.

During the festival days, Phu Nha Thau becomes more and more bustling with the sounds of trumpets, gongs, drums, singing and laughter. From the top of Pu Nha, one can see the stream of people coming to the sacred temple in colorful Thai costumes. Everyone chooses for themselves the most beautiful dresses, scarves and bracelets to dress up to attend the festival, beautifying the village. Ms. Vi Thi Hoi in Na Luong village also prepared for herself the most beautiful Thai costume to attend the festival. Ms. Hoi said that she herself wove the brocade to wear on the opening day of the festival. Everyone, every family, is busy arranging their work in the days before to wait for the day to attend the festival.

Procession at Pu Nha Thau Temple Festival. Photo: Cong Kien

This year, Ky Son district assigned Huu Kiem commune to organize the Phu Nha Thau festival. Since the beginning of January, the Organizing Committee has assigned specific tasks to 9 villages and 3 schools (Boarding Secondary School, Primary School and Kindergarten of Huu Kiem commune) which were selected to participate in the ceremony and festival. Up to now, all preparations for the festival have been completed. The new point of this year's festival is not to organize a buffalo slaughter but instead, there is a buffalo sacrifice ceremony. Buffaloes are led to the temple yard to worship the gods. The ceremony will take place solemnly, the procession starts from Na Luong village, down National Highway 7A, then along the road to the top of the mountain, where Pu Nha Thau temple is located. The gods' spirit tablets are brought into the temple, everyone respectfully turns to the main hall, where the great sacrifice ceremony begins. After offering the offerings, the shaman respectfully invites the gods and ancestors to attend the festival and enjoy, blessing the villages with prosperity, full fields of rice, full rivers of fish, lush forests, peaceful and united villagers... Next is the festival with a cultural and artistic exchange program, drinking rice wine - Lam Vong dance and attractive folk games such as: tug of war, crossbow shooting, throwing con, to mac le, pushing sticks... Especially, coming to the festival, visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy mountain and forest specialties prepared by the skillful hands of Na Luong women.

Thu Huong