Cờn Temple Festival, rich in maritime culture.

(Baonghean) - Every year on the 20th and 21st of the first lunar month, the Cờn Temple Festival is held. This is one of the oldest traditional festivals in Nghe An province, attracting tens of thousands of visitors from all over. The festival is rich in unique cultural features, reflecting the daily life and folk beliefs of the people of Quynh coastal area.

Cờn Temple is located on Diệc Hill, on the banks of the Mai Giang River, near the Lạch Cờn estuary in Phương Cần village, Quỳnh Phương ward, Hoàng Mai town. According to the temple's genealogical records, royal decrees, and historical documents such as Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư, Đại Nam nhất thống chí, and Việt điện U linh tập: Cờn Temple was built in 1235 during the Trần dynasty, and houses the Four Holy Mothers. These Holy Mothers are a mother and two daughters from the Southern Song dynasty: Empress Dowager Từ Thi Dương Nguyệt Quả, Princesses Triệu Nguyệt Khiêu and Triệu Nguyệt Hương, and their wet nurse. In the first year of Thiệu Bảo (1229), the Yuan army ambushed the Song army at Nhai Sơn. Trương Thế Kiệt and Lục Tú Phu, loyal officials of the Southern Song dynasty, took Emperor Đế Bính, his family, and over 800 soldiers onto ships to escape to the sea. They were pursued by the Yuan army, but encountered strong winds and waves, causing the Southern Song emperor and his entourage to drown in the East Sea. The bodies of the three princesses drifted ashore at Cửa Tráp (Càn estuary). The villagers of Càn found the bodies of drowned women with rosy faces, dressed in aristocratic attire, and emitting a fragrant scent like orchids and cinnamon. Curious, they buried them and erected a shrine. Afterward, whenever they went out to sea and prayed there, they found their prayers answered. From then on, the villagers named their locality Hương Cần, or Phương Cần, now part of Quỳnh Phương ward.

Boat racing at the Cờn Temple Festival.

The Đại Việt sử ký Toàn thư and Đại Nam Nhất Thống Chí clearly record: “In the 19th year of Hưng Long (1311), King Trần Anh Tông personally led an expedition against Champa. The army's ships arrived at Càn Hải estuary, also known as Cờn estuary, Phương Cần commune, Quỳnh Lưu district, and stopped to rest. At night, the king dreamt of a goddess weeping and saying: 'I am a concubine of the Song Dynasty, persecuted by the enemy, and drowned in the storm, drifting to this place. The Supreme Being has long appointed me as the Sea Goddess here. Now that Your Majesty is leading the army, I beg to help you achieve victory.' The next morning, remembering the dream, Trần Anh Tông summoned the elders of the area to inquire about the story and immediately went to the temple to offer sacrifices. The sea was calm, and the king led his army straight to Chà Bàn citadel, winning a great victory. The following year, the king returned and had a tiled temple built, offering sacrifices four times a year and bestowing upon her the title of National Great Càn Thánh Nương (Holy Goddess of the South Sea).”

The Announcement Ceremony at Cờn Temple Festival. Photo: TC

During the Le Dynasty, the people of Phuong Can (Quynh Phuong) built an additional temple on Than Lan Mountain, near the coast, to worship the monk who had helped care for Empress Duong Thai Hau and her three children, King De Binh, along with his generals and attendants. In the first year of Hong Duc (1470), King Le Thanh Tong led his army to suppress rebellions in the South, stopping at Xuoc port to rest, reorganize his troops, and offer sacrifices at the temple. After the victory, the king and his entourage intended to march straight to Thang Long, but as soon as they reached the sea, a northeast wind arose, forcing the fleet to take shelter at Corn estuary at the foot of the temple. Le Thanh Tong was surprised and bestowed additional gifts, commissioned the carving of statues and the construction of several more temples, and composed a royal poem.

During the Le and Nguyen dynasties, the temple underwent numerous renovations, repairs, and reconstructions. As a result, its architectural style, the arrangement of ritual objects, and the carvings of dragons and phoenixes reflect the cultural style of the late Le and early Nguyen dynasties, even though it was originally built during the Tran dynasty. In September 1966, the Cờn Temple was bombed by the Americans, damaging three main shrines and many valuable ritual objects. Currently, only the entrance gate and the performance hall remain. The temple also preserves many old statues and ritual objects of historical, cultural, and religious value. Cờn Temple is associated with sacred legends passed down among the people and festivals deeply rooted in Vietnamese culture, increasingly attracting visitors from all over to visit, research, and participate in religious activities.

Previously, the Cờn Temple Festival was held annually by the people to pray for a year of calm weather, peaceful seas, abundant seafood catches, and good fortune; it was a traditional folk cultural activity deeply rooted in the local culture of the coastal villages in Quỳnh Lưu. During the war against the US, the festival was not held and was only restored in 1999. Given its immense value, on January 29, 1993, the Ministry of Culture and Information issued Decision No. 68/QD-BVHTT recognizing Cờn Temple as a National Historical and Cultural Monument, accompanied by the reconstruction and restoration of many parts of the temple to make it more magnificent.

In 2013, Hoang Mai Town was established, and the Corn Temple in Quynh Phuong commune, according to a government decision, is located within its administrative boundaries. Despite being newly established and having experienced a historic flood with significant losses and difficulties, the Corn Temple Festival this year was maintained and organized with new, unique, and spectacular activities thanks to the efforts and determination of the town's leaders and people. According to Hoang Mai Town's policy, the Corn Temple Festival remains an agricultural festival, primarily focused on praying for a good fishing season. The vibrant activities aim to preserve and promote cultural values, as well as create an important highlight for tourism development, attracting visitors to historical and cultural sites and coastal tourist destinations.

To ensure thorough preparation for the Cờn Temple Festival and the opening of tourism in Hoàng Mai town in 2014, the People's Committee of Hoàng Mai town has established an organizing committee and subcommittees to ensure order and solemnity. The subcommittees for content and publicity; rituals; security and health; and logistics and protocol are tasked with developing the overall plan, preparing the content and program, and implementing publicity and promotion activities... assisting the organizing committee in successfully fulfilling its assigned tasks. Mr. Nguyen Van Binh, Deputy Head of the Festival Organizing Committee and Head of the Culture and Information Department of the town, said: “Compared to previous years, this year's Cờn Temple Festival is still organized into two main parts: The ceremonial part includes the opening ceremony, the announcement ceremony, the opening ceremony – the new ceremony, the fishing prayer ceremony, the joint sacrifice ceremony, the ancestral worship ceremony, the grand sacrifice ceremony, and the thanksgiving ceremony; The festive part includes a photo exhibition, a cultural program, a bird singing contest to welcome spring, and competitions in sports such as boat racing, stick pushing, volleyball, tug-of-war, and traditional folk games of the locality. This year's Cờn Temple Festival has some unique new features and is organized more systematically. The town has also restored and re-enacted the custom of the elephant and horse procession, which had been forgotten for 40-50 years. According to folk beliefs, elephants and horses always bring good luck and peace; in the past, the Holy Mother often rode on elephants and horses during spring excursions.”

In addition, to ensure that people and tourists can celebrate the festival safely and economically, and to maintain order in this sacred place, the Organizing Committee has reinforced security forces and police to regulate and guide vehicles to and from the area. In particular, the People's Committee of Hoang Mai Town is determined to crack down on gambling, illegal book sales, and harassment of tourists. Begging will not be allowed in front of or within the Cờn Temple area. This year, the Organizing Committee is also holding a competition to select two separate teams for writing prayer scrolls and interpreting fortune slips. Members of these two teams must be experienced, serve people and tourists politely and attentively, and avoid any profiteering or corruption.

Lieutenant Colonel Duong Phuc Dinh, Head of the Quynh Phuong Ward Police Station, where the festival is taking place, said: “To ensure that people and tourists visiting the Cờn Temple during the spring festival are safe, happy, and economical, we have developed a plan and submitted it to the leadership several weeks in advance. Not only have we increased our forces, but the Quynh Phuong Ward Police Station is also closely coordinating with the Hoang Mai Town Police, and the civil defense force to patrol and monitor, absolutely preventing gambling, fortune-telling, begging, and harassment of tourists. With the involvement of the entire political system and thorough preparation, this year's Cờn Temple Festival will surely be a great success.”

Trieu Duong - Thanh Chung