Vac Village Festival - Convergence of ethnic cultures

(Baonghean) - Every year on the 7th, 8th and 9th of the second lunar month, ethnic minorities in the Northwest gather in Thai Hoa town to participate in the Lang Vac festival. This year, Lang Vac enters the 15th festival season with pride in its national origins, honoring the tangible and intangible values ​​of the ancient Vietnamese people, thereby promoting them in building a new life.

From early morning on March 8, people from all over the country gathered in large numbers at Lang Vac area, participating in the procession of the Bronze Cauldron and Bronze Drum from the festival grounds to Lang Vac temple to perform the grand ceremony. According to the ritual, the festival organizing committee conducted an incense offering ceremony at the shrine, commemorating the Hung Kings' merits in founding the country and the ancestors' merits in protecting the country, praying for favorable weather and bountiful harvests. The 8th was the main day of the festival, but Lang Vac Festival officially took place from the morning of the 7th with camping activities, competitions, cultural and sports exchanges.

After bringing the 9-handle bronze cauldron and the ancient bronze drum to the temple, the festival organizing committee solemnly held a ceremony with trays of five fruits, offerings, "incense, tea, wine, gold and silver" to the ancient Vietnamese people and the Hung Kings. The respect of today's generation shows the inheritance and development of the descendants of the Lac Hong race and the wish for the Hung Kings and ancestors to bless and protect the country and the people. For the past 15 years, Mr. Vu Cong Hoi, in Nghia Hoa commune, a member of the Management Board of the ancient Vietnamese temple in Lang Vac, has participated in all the Hung King worship ceremonies.

Although he was already proficient with the sacrificial songs, every time he heard the drums and bells ringing, Mr. Hoi and the elders participating in the ceremony felt moved and emotional. Mr. Dinh Trong Tuat, 81 years old this year, is an elder who knows many sacrificial songs and has a good sacrificial manner and was invited to be the Head of the ceremony committee. Mr. Tuat confided: “I feel very honored to be invited to participate in the ceremony. This activity contributes to helping the people in the town and people from all over the country understand more about the unique cultural features of the nation so that together we can preserve, promote and build a prosperous and happy life…”.

Witnessing the solemn ceremony, Mr. Nguyen Trung, a son of Thai Hoa Town for a long time, working and living in Hanoi, now returning to participate in the Vac Village Festival shared: "The ceremony was organized elaborately, with unique cultural features, making us feel the solemnity and gratitude to the Hung Kings who worked hard to build the country. That urges us to live, work, study better, and contribute to building our homeland and country."

Gong dance at the festival.

Immediately after the ceremony to worship the Hung Kings and the ancient Vietnamese, the Party Committee and People's Committee of Thai Hoa Town solemnly held the opening ceremony with unique drum and gong performances of ethnic people. On the grand festival day, the resounding and joyful sound of gongs was like a respectful greeting from the people of Thai Hoa Town to guests from all directions. Drum and gong are also the main musical background maintained throughout the Vac Village Festival.

Mr. Dinh Van Thi - Vice Chairman of the Town People's Committee excitedly said: "Every festival season, the people of Lang Vac in particular and Thai Hoa Town are really happy to welcome people from all over to attend the festival. This place seems to gather the heroic spirit of the ancestors for generations. Everyone who comes here during the festival will clearly feel that. Especially, from 2008 until now, after the temple of the ancient Vietnamese and the Hung Kings was completed, people coming here have had a place to remember the merits of their ancestors thousands of generations ago.

If in the early years, the number of tourists was small, in recent festival seasons, the number of tourists has gathered very large, which encourages the people of Lang Vac to continue to preserve and inherit the traditional cultural values ​​of the nation. The history of the nation has gone through many eras and the remaining cultural values ​​are the source of nourishment and promotion in the future.

First swing at the festival. Photo: SM

Write calligraphy at the festival.

Wrestling at the festival.

If the ceremony is imbued with spirituality for generations to remember their roots and show gratitude to their predecessors in building the country, the festival part of the Vac Village Festival takes place in a lively and exciting atmosphere with cultural exchanges and unique folk games. Inheriting the experience of 14 previous festival seasons, this year, the Festival Organizing Committee alternates cultural activities such as: Gong competition, performing arts, festival beauties, singing contests, ethnic minority dances. Along with that are games such as swinging, blindfolded pot smashing, freestyle wrestling, stick pushing, stilt walking, volleyball, tug of war, shuttlecock throwing, card chess, cockfighting.

These activities are imbued with the ethnic and regional cultural characteristics of the people of the Northwest of Nghe An. Invited to participate in the swing game, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hien from Quy Hop district seemed excited and hesitant, but once she fastened her seat belt, with the support of the Organizing Committee, she was able to fly up into the air with joy. After participating, Ms. Hien shared: “Indeed, at first I was a bit scared, but when I was on the swing, flying in the air was really interesting…”.

The festival grounds opposite Lang Vac Temple are always bustling with cheers and encouragement as many women participate in stick pushing, tug of war, and volleyball games. This year, the main day of Lang Vac festival on the 8th of the 2nd lunar month coincides with International Women's Day on the 8th of March, thus attracting more women from all over the country to participate in traditional games. "We have participated in these activities for many years, but every festival season, we feel excited. The atmosphere of the festival brings us pride in our national origin and great joy and encouragement..." - Ms. Le Thi Quynh Trang, Quang Tien ward - Thai Hoa town shared.

From the festival activities, the people of Thai Hoa Town actively promote cultural values ​​imbued with national identity, while upgrading and developing them in accordance with current reality...". Therefore, the Vac Village Festival has brought about real values ​​inherited from thousands of years of the nation. That, spreads cultural features in the community today and tomorrow.

After 15 times of organization, Lang Vac Festival has become a unique cultural feature. This is also an opportunity for the people of Phu Quy and visitors from all over to return to their spiritual roots, to return to the Lac Hong race, to enjoy spring festivals and satisfy their need to enjoy the cultural values ​​left by our ancestors. The festival is also an opportunity for ethnic groups in Phu Quy to gather, demonstrate the spirit of community solidarity, educate awareness of protecting and preserving relics, preserving and promoting traditional cultural and historical values, contributing to building a rich and civilized homeland and country.

Nguyen Son - Sy Minh