Unique custom of vomiting and palanquin throwing in Con Temple Festival

Huy Thu• February 25, 2019 16:06

(Baonghean.vn) - On the morning of February 25, within the framework of the 2019 Con Temple Festival, on Hoang Mai beach, a fishing ceremony with a unique vomiting race took place, attracting tens of thousands of participants.

The fishing ceremony has been maintained by Quynh Phuong people for generations at the beginning of Spring with the hope of a year of fishing with favorable weather, profitable fishing grounds, full holds of fish and shrimp, and safety and health for the fishermen. From early morning, many people were present on the beach to participate in the fishing ceremony.

With that sacred meaning, a large number of people gathered at the main Con temple to perform the ceremony. After offering incense at the main Con temple, the group began to march to the beach bordering the two communes of Quynh Lien and Quynh Phuong. Two groups of people, including the procession on foot and the procession on water, departed from the Con temple and headed towards the fishing site.

During the fishing ceremony, an ancient custom that is still passed down by local people today is that people take turns crawling under the god's palanquin to pray for luck.

At the fishing ceremony, there was also a vomit run and a palanquin tossed on the beach amidst the cheers of the crowd. The procession and vomit run represent many cultural and religious features of the coastal people, so it is still held annually on a grand scale.

To throw the palanquin high requires the young men to be strong and coordinate closely, otherwise the palanquin will tilt and skew in the air.

The fishing ceremony at Con Temple Festival with the custom of running to vomit and tossing palanquins on Hoang Mai beach is a rare unique feature in the spring festival in Nghe An.