Fishing festival at Lach Van estuary

(Baonghean.vn) - In the warm atmosphere of early spring, along the concrete road leading to Lach Van estuary (Dien Chau, Nghe An), thousands of people flocked here to participate in the traditional fishing festival of the coastal fishing village residents.

Cau Ngu Festival in Ngoc Minh village (Dien Ngoc commune, Dien Chau) has a long-standing tradition and holds a special position in the spiritual life and beliefs of the fishing community.

Legend has it that in the 18th century, at Lach Van estuary, on a stormy day, when fishermen were struggling with big waves and strong winds in the middle of the ocean, suddenly one day a whale lifted the boat and pushed it to the shore of Ly Nhan village (now the place name of 3 hamlets: Nam Thinh, Yen Thinh, Trung Thanh in Dien Ngoc commune).

The boat carrying gifts headed out to sea.

After rescuing the fishermen, the whale was exhausted and died later. The whole Ly Nhan village mourned and held a funeral ceremony like a relative, and built a temple to worship him in Ly Nhan village.

In 1941, in Phu Loc village (now Dong Loc and Tay Loc hamlets, Dien Ngoc commune), a fisherman caught a dead fisherman. They brought him back and the whole village held a burial ceremony and built a temple called "Phu Loc Village Fisherman Temple".

At the sea gate, the ceremony committee chooses a location for the ceremony.

Through the vicissitudes of time and the devastation of war, both the whale shrines and temples in Ly Nhan and Phu Loc villages no longer exist, but in the minds of the coastal fishermen, Long Hai Dai Vuong, the protector of all fishing, always holds a special place.

In 1980, the people of Ngoc Minh village contributed their efforts and money to rebuild the temple. Since then, the temple has become a place to worship, preserve and bury the whale skeletons that fishermen in the coastal areas of Dien Chau district caught.

Release offerings into the sea, praying for favorable weather.

It has become a tradition that every year on the 15th and 16th of the second lunar month, the people of Ngoc Minh village and fishermen in the Lach Van estuary hold a fishing festival, praying for a year of calm seas, full holds of fish and shrimp, and for the villagers' lives to become more and more prosperous.

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