Thousands of locals and tourists flocked to the Hoang Muoi Temple festival.

Panoramic view of Hoang Muoi Temple. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Hoang Muoi Temple is located in Xuan Am hamlet, Hung Thinh commune. Legend says that the temple is situated on land shaped like the beak of a giant crane, formed by the winding Moc and Vinh rivers, hence its other name, "Crane Beak Sacred Temple".

Over time, the ancient temple suffered significant damage and was restored in the late 20th century. Currently, the temple has three main buildings: the upper, middle, and lower halls, along with other architectural structures such as the ceremonial gate, the main gate, the central platform, the pavilions for the goddess and the god, the left and right side buildings, the incense burner, and the mausoleum area. Besides worshipping Quan Hoang Muoi, the temple also enshrines the deities Song Dong Ngoc Nu, the Duke of Phuc Quan Cong, and the General Nguyen Duy Lac.

The festival was attended by representatives from various departments and agencies; leaders of Hung Nguyen district; and a large number of local people and tourists from all over. Photo: Thanh Cuong

In 2002, Hoang Muoi Temple was classified as a historical and cultural relic by the People's Committee of Nghe An province. Since then, the relic has been regularly restored and renovated to be worthy of its historical and cultural significance, meeting the religious needs of the local people and visitors from near and far.

The Hoang Muoi Temple Festival is a traditional festival, but due to various changes, it was interrupted for a period and was only revived in 1995. To date, the ancient rituals of the festival have been studied and restored relatively completely.

The rituals at the festival were conducted solemnly and respectfully. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Notably, at the 2018 festival, the ceremony of declaring the royal decree – an important ritual affirming the recognition by the dynasties of the worship of Ông Hoàng Mười in Xuân Am village, Hưng Thịnh commune – was restored for the first time.

The act of proclaiming the sacredness of a traditional festival once again emphasizes its sacredness; thereby reminding future generations to remember and appreciate the merits of their ancestors, and to work together to preserve and promote cultural and historical values.

The ceremonial committee performs the ritual of proclaiming the royal decree. Photo: Thanh Cuong.

This year's Hoang Muoi Temple Festival, held from the 8th to the 10th of the 10th lunar month, included both ceremonial and festive activities. Besides solemn traditional rituals such as the opening ceremony, announcement, procession, proclamation, grand sacrifice, and thanksgiving ceremony, there were also lively competitions in sports, folk games, folk song clubs, camping, and the release of floating lanterns on the Moc River. Thousands of local people and visitors from all over attended the festival.