Fishing festival in Son Hai commune

(Baonghean) -Every spring, fishermen in Son Hai commune (Quynh Luu district, Nghe An) enthusiastically organize a fishing festival to pray for a year of favorable weather and a good catch of seafood. This is a traditional festival that represents the spiritual cultural identity that is being preserved, maintained and promoted by fishermen in the Quynh Luu coastal area.

This is a festival with a long-standing tradition, the origin of which is known to very few people. Son Hai people only heard from the elders that: In the past, this was a festival with the most magnificent nature and scale compared to the surrounding localities, but this festival has been lost for nearly 50 years. Therefore, today, to restore and organize this festival, the cadres and people of Son Hai commune have had to spend a lot of effort researching, investigating and collecting from a number of other festivals. From there, it has gradually been upgraded and perfected, creating its own mark and characteristics.

Fishing ceremony in Son Hai commune. Photo: Viet Hoang (TTO)

According to custom, the fishing festival used to be held on the 6th and 7th of the first lunar month. However, due to current conditions, the festival is no longer mandatory and fixed in terms of date and time. Based on the ebb and flow of the water, on whichever day the water is at its highest and boats can go far out to sea in January, fishermen will hold the fishing festival. This year, Son Hai commune held the fishing festival on the 12th and 13th of the first lunar month.

The festival consists of two main parts: the ceremony and the festival. The ceremony includes the opening ceremony, the proclamation ceremony, the fish praying ceremony, the great sacrifice ceremony, and the thanksgiving ceremony at the palanquin procession points such as Trung Communal House, Thoi Temple, the Memorial, and Thanh Son Pagoda. The festival includes cultural and artistic activities and two palanquin processions. One group will go by water, consisting of 7 large boats decorated splendidly, from Trung Communal House to Thoi Temple, and one group will go by land, carrying the palanquin from Trung Communal House to Thoi Temple. After that, the two groups will gather to perform the ceremony at Thanh Son Pagoda and return to Trung Communal House. The participating groups will wear costumes that represent their own characteristics. Mr. Tran Duc Tung (a fisherman in village 6, Son Hai commune) said: Son Hai people hope that in the new year they will have a bountiful harvest, favorable seafood exploitation, and people will earn a lot of profit. Through the fishing festival, the community is further united, the whole people unite as one, and join hands to build a beautiful life.

Thanh Toan