This year's Thuong Xuan Temple Festival...

(Baonghean) - Thuong Temple in Quynh Nghia is a large, ancient, and sacred temple famous in the Bai Ngang area of ​​Quynh Luu district, second only to Corn Temple in Quynh Phuong. Thuong Temple was classified as a National Historical and Cultural Monument in 1996. For nearly 20 years since then, Thuong Temple has received attention for its restoration and the annual festival is being revived so that visitors from near and far, as well as local people, can come to worship and offer incense in remembrance of those who contributed to the country; marking a revolutionary site from the early days of the Party in the village and the entire Bai Ngang area of ​​Quynh Luu district.

Panoramic view of the Upper Temple.

In terms of its revolutionary tradition, Thuong Temple also marks many historical events during the Nghe An - Thinh Hoa Soviet Uprising (1930-1931). Due to its remote location, with its tranquil and solemn landscape, Thuong Temple was chosen as a secret operational base for the local Party, providing a solid foundation for the revolutionary movement in the entire Bai Ngang area of ​​Quynh Luu district. Here, on April 1, 1931, the Phu Nghia Thuong village Party branch was established with 4 members, led by Comrade Ho Hanh as secretary. Thuong Temple also served as a meeting place, a printing location for documents and leaflets, a place to display Party flags, and a venue for numerous rallies and demonstrations in support of the Nghe An - Thinh Hoa Soviet Uprising. Specifically, two large rallies and demonstrations broke out consecutively at the Upper Temple on May 15, 1931, and June 1, 1931, attracting villagers from Phu Nghia and also Phu Thanh, Phu Luong, Phu Da… (now the coastal communes of Quynh Minh, Quynh Luong, and Quynh Bang) to participate. These were brutally suppressed by the colonial and feudal authorities, resulting in the deaths, injuries, and imprisonment of many revolutionary fighters during this period.

In particular, the Upper Temple was also the site of many secret conferences aimed at restoring the village's Party branch and the Quỳnh Lưu District Party Committee during the years 1933-1945. It was where organizations such as the Red Self-Defense Force, the Red Peasant Association, and the village's Viet Minh Front were established to prepare forces for the general uprising to seize power during the August Revolution of 1945. Regarding the secret conference to re-establish the Quỳnh Lưu District Party Committee, at the end of 1935, comrades Phan Hữu Khiêm and Phạm Diên, after receiving instructions from the Nghệ An Provincial Party Committee, returned to Phú Nghĩa village to organize the conference at the Upper Temple to re-establish the Quỳnh Lưu Party Committee, electing Phan Hữu Khiêm as Secretary. The second significant event was in mid-1945, when the conference to re-establish the Quỳnh Lưu District Party Committee was also held at Thượng Temple in Phú Nghĩa Thượng village. The District Party Committee was elected, comprising comrades Nguyễn Xuân Mai (Secretary), Phan Hữu Khiêm, Nguyễn Văn Phương, Hồ Hữu Lợi, Hồ Thị Nhung, Dương Đình Thủy, and others. Because of these important events in the history of the revolutionary struggle, Thượng Temple became a historical revolutionary site dating back to the Nghệ-Tĩnh Soviet Uprising (1930-1931) in Quỳnh Lưu district.

As both a historical revolutionary site, Thuong Temple is also a sacred temple, a place of spiritual and religious activity for generations. Thuong Temple preserves the rich cultural traditions of the ancient Phu Nghia village (now Quynh Nghia and Tien Thuy communes), being the largest and oldest center of spiritual and cultural activity in the village, dating back to when the village was called Trang Nghia Lo (10th-11th centuries), spanning thousands of years. In the past, the Thuong Temple Festival took place year-round on holidays and Tet (Lunar New Year), with the most vibrant celebrations in the spring. The grand ceremony used to be held every three years in the years of the Rat, Rabbit, Horse, and Rooster (from the 12th to the 17th of January). The village organized a procession to carry the deity from Thuong Temple to Trung communal house for three days of worship. The procession included palanquins, dragons, swords, flags, drums, gongs, etc., along with a drum and gong ensemble, a money-making dance troupe, and teams representing various social classes: scholars, farmers, workers, and merchants. During the three-day festival at Trung communal house, the village organizes many nights of theatrical performances and singing, such as ritual songs, <i>ca trù</i>, <i>chầu văn</i>, and <i>hát đúm</i>, as well as entertainment activities like human chess, <i>tổ tôm điếm</i> (a card game), swing riding, and <i>hát ví giao duyên</i> (a type of folk singing).

The Thượng Temple Festival has many unique features, blending the characteristics of an agricultural community, praying for favorable weather, with the cultural colors of the riverine region, including the Fishing Festival. The cultural aspects of the Thượng Temple Festival demonstrate the harmonious fusion of the "Three Religions in One Origin" belief system, intricately interwoven. Specifically regarding the deities worshipped at the Thượng Temple, the two main deities are Đế Thiên and Đế Thích, and Cao Sơn and Cao Các. Initially, they were celestial and nature deities, but later they were personified. Đế Thiên and Đế Thích, when personified as celestial beings, are worshipped at the temple, while their transformation into Buddhas is later combined and worshipped at a temple called Đế Thích Temple. Celestial beings, deities, and Buddhas all coexist and become benevolent gods of the village, protecting and blessing the villagers with peaceful and happy lives. Since the Le Trung Hung era, the Upper Temple has also been dedicated to the worship of three Dukes of the village, and during major festivals, it also houses the worship of sea deities such as General Hoang Ta Thon of the Sea, the Four Holy Mothers… these are the protective deities of the fishing industry that the villagers believe in.

Following the restoration of the Thượng Temple Festival, 2015 marked the fourth time the village organized the festival (Grand Ceremony), aiming to restore it on a larger scale, closer to the ancient festival. This year, on the 12th day of the first lunar month, the Grand Ceremony of the Thượng Temple Festival will for the first time partially revive the Trò Lề festival, also held in the spring. This is a unique and distinctive cultural feature of the ancient Phú Nghĩa village festival, reflecting the rich and vibrant life of the coastal region of Nghệ An province. In the spring, we invite you to visit this coastal village, to experience the Thượng Temple Festival and immerse yourself in the spirit of this spring festival.

Mai Ho Minh