Van Temple - Cua Rao Festival: Convergence of traditional community beauty

(Baonghean) - Every spring, in the last week of January, the villagers of the mountainous district of Tuong Duong dedicate a spiritual corner to the Van Temple - Cua Rao Festival. Coming to the festival, the villagers and visitors are immersed in a solemn and sacred, joyful and bustling atmosphere, and are able to entrust and pray for secret and sacred things.

Van - Cua Rao Temple is located in Xa Luong commune, a land of three rivers where the Nam Non and Nam Mo rivers converge, the starting point of the gentle Lam River, which has long been a cultural symbol of Nghe An. This sacred temple is associated with the career and merit of Doan Nhu Hai (Tran Dynasty) - a General who sacrificed his life on this land to protect the country, the border and the lives of the people.

Procession at Van Temple - Cua Rao Festival. Photo: Cong Kien

According to historical sources, around 1335, the Ai Lao invaders invaded and harassed the border area of ​​Western Nghe An, at that time called Nam Nhung land (including the present-day districts of Ky Son, Tuong Duong and Con Cuong). The peaceful life of the villages was threatened, innocent people were slaughtered, and their properties were looted. Upon hearing the news, despite his old age, the retired Emperor Tran Minh Tong still decided to personally lead troops into this border area to suppress the invaders and keep the border peaceful.

The Emperor appointed Doan Nhu Hai, who was then commanding the Than Vu and Than Sach armies and concurrently serving as the Kinh Luoc Dia Su of Nghe An, to be the Governor General. During a battle at the river junction, due to dense fog and unfavorable weather, the Governor General of the Tran Dynasty and many soldiers of the royal court were sacrificed. When life returned to peace, the people of Nam Nhung built a temple at the river junction to commemorate the contributions of Doan Nhu Hai and the soldiers of the Tran Dynasty who sacrificed their lives for the peace of life.

For many years, at Van - Cua Rao Temple, people have also worshiped the Three Holy Mothers (one of the "Four Immortals" according to folk beliefs). Villagers in Tuong Duong take turns burning incense all year round and organizing festivals in early spring to remember the merits of their ancestors and educate the younger generations about their homeland's traditions. Coming to Van - Cua Rao Temple, we pass by thousand-year-old trees reflecting on the river like witnesses of history in the endless flow of time. Incense smoke billows and spreads... Everyone lights a stick of incense and prays for peace and prosperity.

The opening activity of this year's Van Temple - Cua Rao Festival is a cultural exchange night that will attract thousands of locals and tourists to enjoy and cheer. Villages and units will bring to the exchange program special performances, expressing the identity and aspirations of the community, promising to bring joy and experience to audiences near and far. On this occasion, folk songs and dances of the Thai, Mong and Kho Mu ethnic groups will have more opportunities to be performed so that visitors from near and far can better understand the rich cultural values ​​of the remote border land.

Stick pushing competition at Van Temple - Cua Rao Festival. Photo: Archive

Many tourists have been fascinated by the sound of the panpipes, sometimes low, sometimes high, the sound of the pi, flowing like a spring stream, and the melodious sound of the panpipes and the graceful steps in the dance of the Mong boys from the mountain tops covered in mist all year round. And captivated by the rhythmic xoe circles and the lam vong and sap dances of the graceful and gentle Thai girls. Then the sound of gongs and drums harmonizing with the Nam Non and Nam Mo rivers, along with the joyful cheers of the earth, sky and people's hearts in unison.

Early in the morning, when the river just woke up, the drum beat to start the festival, the procession of the spirit tablets of Doan Nhu Hai and Tam Toa Thanh Mau began. The celebrant chanted the merits of the gods worshiped at the temple and prayed for national peace and prosperity, favorable weather, bountiful harvests, peaceful villages, and prosperity for all people. Outside the festival yard, sports and folk games took place lively and excitingly.

The boys and girls of the highlands of Tuong Duong take turns playing crossbow shooting, tug of war, stick pushing, throwing balls, swinging, and fighting... Only once a year, everyone joins in the fun before entering a busy and hectic year of work. Coming to the Van Temple - Cua Rao Festival is coming back to the historical values, coming back to the years of fighting to build and defend the country.

At the same time, returning to a beautiful countryside with friendly and hospitable people; a place where we can entrust our spirituality to live better in real life and a place where we can have peaceful, exciting and enthusiastic moments to start a year of productive work.

Talking to us, Mr. Lo Thanh Nhat - Vice Chairman of Tuong Duong District People's Committee affirmed: "The Van - Cua Rao Temple Festival is a place to show the solidarity of the ethnic groups living in Tuong Duong. It is also an opportunity to preserve the cultural identity of the ethnic groups, a place to gather the traditional beauty of the community...".

Tuong Anh - Dang Nguyen