Sacred Bach Ma Temple Festival

(Baonghean) - Located among the four most sacred temples of Nghe An, Bach Ma Temple is considered one of the "Four Spirits" of Nghe An: "First Con - Second Qua - Third Bach Ma - Fourth Chieu Trung". Every year on the 9th and 10th of the second lunar month, during the clear Thanh Minh festival, people celebrate the Bach Ma Temple Festival.

Place of worship of "White Horse God"

Bach Ma Temple in Vo Liet Commune (Thanh Chuong) worships Phan Da, a young general who made great contributions in the resistance war against the Ming army in the 15th century. According to legend, Phan Da was born in the early 15th century, in a fishing family along the Lam River, in Chi Linh village, Vo Liet commune, Tho Du district, now Khai Tien village, Vo Liet commune, Thanh Chuong district.

Bach Ma Temple - Thanh Chuong - one of the famous sacred temples in Nghe An.

Phan Da lost his parents at a young age and was taken in by an old man named Bay, who was a blacksmith in the commune. As a young man, Phan Da was an intelligent, handsome boy, good at martial arts, archery, and was called "the strange boy" by the people. When there were foreign invaders, Phan Da gathered an army to practice day and night. In 1418, Le Loi raised the flag of uprising in Lam Son, Thanh Hoa, then returned to Nghe An to build a base against the Ming invaders. Phan Da brought his forces to join the Lam Son army and enthusiastically participated in many battles with Vo Liet's militia. He was a resourceful and brave general who made the enemy afraid many times. When going to battle, Phan Da often wore white armor and rode a white horse, so the people often called him "The White Horse God".

Procession at Bach Ma Temple Festival. Photo: Duy Hung

During a surprise ambush on the northern bank of Lam Giang, he was seriously injured, carried back by horse, and breathed his last breath near Vo Liet in Cong Trung, Lai Thanh (now Trung Thanh village, Thanh Long commune). His body was buried by termites, very responsive, he helped people overcome natural disasters, epidemics and supported kings and generals to defeat the enemy, the people built a temple to worship him. In 1428, Le Loi ascended the throne, considering Phan Da's merits, he gave money, assigned the local army and people to build a majestic temple and organize annual international ceremonies, and at the same time bestowed the title "Do Thien Dai De Bach Ma Thuong Dang Phuc Than". Later, the feudal dynasties bestowed the title "Thuong - Thuong - Thuong Dang Toi Linh Ton Than".

Bach Ma Temple is a place that records many important historical events and imprints: In the 6th year of Quang Thuan (1465), King Le Thanh Tong himself visited the temple and held a ceremony here on his way to conquer the South; in the 3rd year of Canh Hung (1770), Duke Bui The Dat entered the temple to hold a ceremony while he was on his way to fight the enemy; During the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement of 1930-1931, Bach Ma Temple became a place associated with many struggles of the Thanh Chuong people. With such a historical scale, on March 24, 1994, the Temple was ranked as a "National Historical - Cultural - Architectural Artistic Relic" by the Ministry of Culture and Information.

Sacred festival

Bach Ma Temple is located on a 4,894m2 campus in Tan Ha village, Vo Liet commune, Thanh Chuong district. This is a beautiful, unique architectural complex with a harmonious layout and many sophisticated carvings on folk themes. The temple also preserves many rare documents and artifacts, adding to the historical and spiritual value of the relic.

From the Le Dynasty to the Nguyen Dynasty, the Bach Ma Temple Festival was held solemnly and on a large scale. Every year, on the anniversary of Phan Da's death (June 13th of the lunar calendar), the feudal court organized and assigned local officials to prepare offerings for the ceremony. The people of Vo Liet commune also held a festival to receive royal decrees and organized cultural activities and diverse folk games such as wrestling, tug of war, cockfighting, swinging, human chess, card chess, martial arts, mock battles, and singing contests of Ca Tru and Hat Boi.

Located in the four most sacred temples of Nghe An, Bach Ma Temple is considered one of the "Four Spirits" of Nghe An "First Con - Second Qua - Third Bach Ma - Fourth Chieu Trung". In recent years, the Temple continues to receive attention from the Party and State at all levels, with many organizations and individuals donating to repair and restore it. Every year on the 9th and 10th of the second lunar month, during the clear Thanh Minh festival, people organize the Bach Ma Temple Festival. Tens of thousands of people and tourists from all over the world come to pay their respects and pay tribute to the merits of "God Bach Ma" and participate in traditional folk games.

Wrestling - a folk sport at Bach Ma Temple festival. Photo: Mai Hoa

This year's Bach Ma Temple Festival consists of two parts: the ceremony and the festival. The ceremony includes: the opening ceremony, the procession, the announcement ceremony, the worship ceremony, and the thanksgiving ceremony. The festival includes: football, volleyball, wrestling, throwing balls, pot smashing, cultural and artistic exchange, beauty contests, and poetry recitations about the Bach Ma God. The festival activities are increasingly diverse, attracting many people of all ages, tourists, and localities to participate, expanding exchanges and understanding, enriching the spiritual life of the people.

Mr. Trinh Van Nha - Vice Chairman of Thanh Chuong District People's Committee, Head of Bach Ma Temple Festival Committee said: The festival is held annually on the 9th and 10th of the second lunar month, but this year there has been investment to develop it into a regional festival with a larger scale. In order for the festival to take place solemnly and respectfully, the Organizing Committee has planned the area for selling offerings, incense, flowers, fruits... to avoid the chaotic situation as before. Investment has been made to renovate the parking lot and the road leading to the temple. The festival is an opportunity for Thanh Chuong district in general, and Vo Liet commune in particular, to promote propaganda and education on traditions, patriotism, and national pride for the younger generation, while at the same time arousing the spirit of solidarity for people in neighboring areas.

Dam Phuong