Under the roof of Dung village communal house

(Baonghean) -Nearly 5 years ago, during a visit to Nghia Dung commune (Tan Ky), we wrote an article “Worries under the roof of Dung village communal house”, reflecting the thoughts and feelings of the local people when the historical relic of the village was at risk of degradation. Recently, receiving an invitation from the locals to attend the ceremony to receive the title of Historical Relic of Dung village communal house, we had the opportunity to return to Dung village, witnessing the beauty of the ancient communal house and the joy and excitement of the local people…

Receive Certificate of recognition of historical relic of Dung village communal house.

Meeting an acquaintance, Mr. Hoang Minh Chau (97 years old), who 5 years ago led us to the communal house to find documents, excitedly held our hands: "The villagers are very happy these days, everyone is proud because the communal house has been recognized by the province as a historical relic. We, the older generation, are even happier, because we believe that the communal house will stand firm against time." At this age, Mr. Chau is still quite lucid, he told everyone many events and details surrounding the communal house. The children of Dung village stood around him and listened excitedly.

Dung communal house is located on the hillside in the southwest direction, in the middle of a densely populated and prosperous residential area. In front is the cool, gentle Con River and fertile alluvial plains, with lush corn and sugarcane. Many people believe that the communal house has the "mountain and water gathering" position, so it can develop long-term and sustainably. Dung communal house relic has bold Nguyen Dynasty architecture, including 1 room, 2 sides with a total area of ​​over 85m2. The roof is covered with scale tiles, on the roof are decorated with mascots such as dragon statues, tiger statues facing the moon and the sun. Along with that are statues of the kylin, phoenix, and crane riding on the back of a turtle to increase the solemnity but still very close. On the joints between the rafters and lower beams are carved many vivid patterns such as phoenix hidden in clouds, stylized lotus flowers.

On the crossbeam of the middle room is engraved the Chinese characters: "Hoang trieu Bao Dai thap nhi that nien Dinh Suu trong thu nguyet cong thanh" (Completed in the middle of Autumn, Dinh Suu year, Bao Dai 12th year (1937). With skillful and skillful carving and thread-cutting techniques, the ancient artisans expressed folk and royal themes on wood in a delicate and lively way. The interior of the communal house is arranged in an orderly and harmonious manner with the altar, throne, incense burner, cranes and a system of Buddha statues made from jackfruit wood. Through this, it is easy to see that Dung village communal house clearly shows the traditional architecture of Vietnamese communal houses. And here there is an intersection between the communal house of the plains and the traditional architecture of ethnic minorities in the mountainous region. This intersection partly shows the cultural life as well as the creativity and aesthetic level of the mountainous people.

According to some historical documents and opinions of the elders in the area, Dung village communal house was built by the people in the Later Le Dynasty, and was renovated during the Nguyen Dynasty, worshiping the gods who had contributed to protecting the country and the people. The first purpose was to organize a reenactment of the Dong Do battle of the Lam Son insurgents (15th century), in the war against the Ming invaders. With deep patriotism and hatred for the enemy, the people of Dung village fought steadfastly, supporting Le Loi's insurgents, contributing to the Dong Do victory (this issue is being further studied in history books).

In the conquest of nature, Dung village communal house is where the village dignitaries meet to make decisions on building and protecting the village. This is also where the hunting guild holds the Khai Son ceremony - a ceremony to worship the gods before the new hunting season. During the struggle for independence and against the French and Americans, Dung village communal house was a place to hide revolutionary cadres, a place to hide documents and also a place to gather people to fight to destroy plantations and take power into the hands of the revolution. During the resistance war against the Americans to save the country, the communal house was a stopover for many army units on their way to the battlefield in the South.

The communal house was built to worship Thanh Hoang, a meeting place and cultural activity place for the people of Dung village in the past (now including 5 communes of Nghia Dung, Nghia Hop, Nghia Thai, Nghia Hoan and Nghia Phuc of Tan Ky district). Later, due to some changes, Dung village communal house became a place to worship the gods of fortune of the people in the area. The Thanh Hoang of Dung village is identified as Cao Son - Cao Cac - two gods of fortune that are quite popularly worshiped in Nghe An. The communal house also worships gods who have contributed to protecting, sheltering and helping the people such as Bach Y princess, Moc Thu Ton Than, Thai Y Ngo Van Ngao and the communal house also worships Buddha. Every year, people hold many ritual activities at the communal house such as Khai Son Festival (of the hunting guild), Ky Yen Festival (commemorating the victory of the Dong Do battle of the people and Lam Son insurgents), Khai Ha Festival (beginning of the rice season, usually in the fourth lunar month), Trung Nguyen Festival (traditional cultural activities of ethnic minorities in the region), Thuong Tan Festival (offering new rice, usually at the end of the tenth lunar month). It can be said that Dung village communal house is a place for people in the region to entrust their spiritual beliefs, express the morality of "When drinking water, remember its source", and remember the merits of the gods who govern the village and their ancestors. This is the place to consolidate the community, expressing the cultural values ​​​​with the identity of the ethnic minorities living in the region.

Nowadays, Dung village communal house is no longer the place for holding administrative meetings of the village (it has been replaced by a village cultural house), but every year cultural and spiritual activities still take place here. Some ritual activities are still maintained and restored such as Ky Yen, Khai Ha, Thuong Tan ceremonies. On full moon days and holidays, people in Dung village prepare offerings to present to the gods, praying for good things. Every time Tet comes, Spring comes, children of Dung village who have returned from far away often gather under the communal house roof to listen to the elders recount traditions and organize cultural and artistic exchange activities, contribute money to restore the village communal house, and build their homeland. Those days at Dung village communal house have become a festival. For a long time, the management of relics at Dung village communal house has received attention from the local government and people, and its cultural and historical values ​​have been well promoted. The communal house recognized by the Provincial People's Committee as a historical relic will create a legal basis for the locality to continue to protect, restore and embellish, worthy of being a relic built long ago on the land of Phu Quy. From there, it will arouse pride, solidarity and awareness of building the homeland for each citizen, especially the young generation, so that the land along the Con River becomes greener and greener, and the villages become more prosperous.

Leaving Dung village's communal house and saying goodbye to the people here, we still remember the joy on every face and smile on the day we received the title of Historical Relic. That smile and joy said many things, it was the fulfillment of a wish, the pride in the homeland's traditions, the spirit of solidarity among ethnic communities, the hope and belief in the future...

Cong Kien