The Bach Ma Temple Festival is rich in cultural identity.
Bach Ma Temple (Thanh Chuong district) is one of the four most sacred temples in the Nghe Tinh region: "First Corn, second Qua, third Bach Ma, fourth Chieu Trung". The annual festival at the temple has become a unique spiritual and cultural activity for local people and visitors from all over. The Bach Ma Temple Festival in 2025 will be organized by Thanh Chuong district on March 8th and 9th (corresponding to February 9th and 10th in the lunar calendar).
Mai Hoa• March 7, 2025
Bach Ma Temple (Thanh Chuong district) is one of the four most sacred temples in the Nghe Tinh region: "First Corn, second Qua, third Bach Ma, fourth Chieu Trung". The annual festival at the temple has become a unique spiritual and cultural activity for local people and visitors from all over. The Bach Ma Temple Festival in 2025 will be organized by Thanh Chuong district on March 8th and 9th (corresponding to February 9th and 10th in the lunar calendar).
Located in the southwestern part of Nghe An province, Thanh Chuong district is a region rich in cultural, historical, and revolutionary traditions. Currently, the district has 457 historical sites inventoried and protected by the province; of which 73 are classified (14 national-level sites, 59 provincial-level sites; the most notable being Bach Ma Temple).
The Bach Ma Temple is located in Ha Luong village, Kim Bang commune, along the road connecting the Ho Chi Minh Highway to President Ho Chi Minh's birthplace (Kim Lien commune, Nam Dan district), about 41km from Vinh city and about 4km from the Ho Chi Minh Highway. The Bach Ma Temple is a place of worship for General Phan Da, Hoa Luong Van Dao General, and Thiet Cuong Anh Qua.
General Phan Đà was born in the early 15th century into a fishing family on the Lam River, in Chí Linh village, Thổ Du district (now Minh Tân village, Kim Bảng commune, Thanh Chương district). Phan Đà was intelligent, handsome, and skilled in martial arts and archery, earning him the nickname "prodigy." When foreign invaders attacked, he gathered his troops and trained them day and night.
In 1418, Le Loi raised the banner of rebellion in Lam Son (Thanh Hoa), then returned to Nghe An to establish a base to fight against the Ming invaders. General Phan Da joined the Lam Son rebel army with his forces and, along with local militia, enthusiastically participated in many battles to defeat the enemy. Phan Da was a resourceful and courageous general who "charged into battle as if into empty space," striking fear into the enemy on many occasions. When going into battle, Phan Da often wore white armor and rode a white horse, so the people often called him "The White Horse God."
In a battle, ambushed unexpectedly, General Phan Đà was severely wounded. He was carried back by horse and, near Võ Liệt, breathed his last at Công Trung, Lai Thành (now Trung Thành village, Kim Bảng commune, Thanh Chương district). His body was buried by termites, and it is believed to be very sacred, helping the people and generals in defending the borders, so the people erected a temple to worship him.
In 1428, when Le Loi ascended the throne, recognizing the merits of General Phan Da, he granted funds to the local people to build a magnificent temple and organize annual ceremonies; he also bestowed upon him the title "Do Thien Dai De Bach Ma Thuong Dang Phuc Than" (Great Emperor of the White Horse, Supreme Blessed Deity). Subsequent feudal dynasties continued to issue more than 100 imperial decrees to the White Horse deity, honoring him as "Thuong Thuong Thuong Dang Toi Linh Ton Than" (Supreme, Supreme, Supreme, Most Sacred Deity).
The Bach Ma Temple also commemorates many important historical events. In the 6th year of Quang Thuan (1465), King Le Thanh Tong himself visited the temple and performed a ritual there on his way to conquer the South. In the 30th year of Canh Hung (1770), Duke Bui The Dat performed a ritual there on his way to fight the enemy, and due to divine intervention, the king and the duke achieved great victories in all their battles.
During the revolutionary upheaval of 1930-1931, Bach Ma Temple was used to organize secret activities of the Vo Liet Commune Farmers' Association. In 1945, the people of Vo Liet commune gathered at the temple before going to the district headquarters to overthrow the colonial and feudal government, and many important events of the people of Thanh Chuong during the two wars of resistance against French colonialism and American imperialism took place there.
Comrade Dang Van Hoa - Head of the Culture, Science and Information Department of Thanh Chuong District shared: “Bach Ma Temple is not only a place associated with the legend of General Phan Da and the soldiers who sacrificed themselves for the country in the 15th century; but also a symbol of patriotism, a place to educate generations about the tradition of "drinking water, remembering the source." It is also a tangible cultural work with many unique historical and cultural values. Every year, the government and people of Thanh Chuong always pay attention to restoring and preserving the ancient and unique architecture and art, as well as many rare documents, artifacts, and ritual objects. Because of the temple's special historical, architectural, and cultural values, the Ministry of Culture and Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) ranked it a "National Historical - Cultural - Architectural and Artistic Monument" in Decision No. 226/QD-BT dated February 5, 1994.”
Besides its historical and cultural value, Bach Ma Temple is a place where local people and visitors from all over engage in cultural and spiritual activities. Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan Mai, a native of Thanh Chuong currently living in Ho Chi Minh City, said: “Every year when I return home, my family makes time to visit Bach Ma Temple to offer prayers; if we can't come back, we ask relatives to offer incense and prayers to the saints and gods at the temple to ask for peace for the family and for everyone's lives to progress.”
At Bach Ma Temple, a large-scale cultural event takes place annually: the Bach Ma Temple Festival, held on the 9th and 10th days of the 2nd lunar month. The 2025 Bach Ma Temple Festival will be held on March 8th and 9th (corresponding to the 9th and 10th days of the 2nd lunar month of the Year of the Snake). The festival consists of two parts: the ceremonial part and the festive part. The ceremonial part includes ancient and solemn rituals, such as the opening ceremony at Bach Ma Temple; the incense offering ceremony at the tomb of Phan Da in Long Bien hamlet, Kim Bang commune; the incense offering ceremony at Phu Ngoai - Minh Tan village, Kim Bang commune; the palanquin procession; the announcement ceremony; the worship of the gods; and the thanksgiving ceremony at Bach Ma Temple.
Regarding the festival, Thanh Chuong district organized many vibrant cultural and sports activities, including men's volleyball competitions; women's tug-of-war; and folk games such as wrestling, pot smashing, stilt walking, and throwing the ball... Within the framework of the festival, there will also be a beauty contest for female students at the Bach Ma Temple Festival 2025; booths showcasing OCOP products and local specialties; and booths promoting digital transformation...
Comrade Trinh Van Nha – Deputy Secretary of the District Party Committee and Chairman of the Thanh Chuong District People's Committee – affirmed: Through organizing festival activities, the aim is to awaken the martial spirit and solidarity of all strata of the people; and at the same time create a healthy and beneficial cultural space for the people and visitors from all over. These activities also contribute to preserving the rich cultural values of the nation and the homeland of Thanh Chuong. The most distinctive activity in the festival is the wrestling game. This activity not only recreates the method of recruiting soldiers used by General Phan Da, but also carries profound symbolic significance regarding the sun worship custom of the rice-farming agricultural population.
Legend has it that in the 15th century, Phan Đà joined Lê Lợi's rebel army, was assigned to govern the Thổ Du region, and recruited strong, agile local men to fight the enemy. To select young men possessing the necessary qualities of strength, intelligence, courage, agility, and skill for the army, he devised a relatively simple yet effective recruitment method: wrestling competitions.
Previously, the Bach Ma Temple Festival organized all three forms of ball games: golf, push, and water. Now, the festival only features golf ball wrestling; meaning that at each end of the field, a 50cm x 50cm hole is dug, with a festival flag planted on top. Each match lasts about 15 minutes, with each team consisting of 7 participants competing for the ball (a round ball made from a banana tree trunk). The teams must get the ball into the opponent's hole without grabbing or wrestling the opponent. Each ball game is truly a battle of wits, strength, and a display of skill and teamwork between the two teams. Due to its outstanding value, the Bach Ma Temple Festival was included in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism under Decision No. 2969/QD-BVHTTDL dated August 27, 2019.
Throughout the process of national construction and development, the Party and State of Vietnam have always valued and clearly defined cultural heritage as one of the elements that create national cultural identity and as a resource for national construction and development. Organizing the Bach Ma Temple Festival in 2025 with many unique cultural activities will continue to contribute to preserving and promoting the spiritual cultural values of the nation, and foster a spirit of unity for the development of our homeland and country.”
Comrade Trinh Van Nha – Deputy Secretary of the District Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of Thanh Chuong District
