Sacred Qua Son Temple Festival

(Baonghean) - Every year, on January 18 - 20 (lunar calendar), people of Do Luong district and neighboring areas eagerly attend the Qua Son Temple Festival - a traditional festival to commemorate Uy Minh Vuong Ly Nhat Quang.

Sacred Temple of Fruit

Qua Son Temple is one of the four most sacred temples in Nghe An: "first Con, second Qua, third Bach Ma, fourth Chieu Trung". The temple was built by the people at the foot of Qua mountain in Mieu Duong village, Bach Duong hamlet, Nam Duong district (now Boi Son commune, Do Luong district). The temple is the place to worship Uy Minh Vuong Ly Nhat Quang - the District Governor who had great contributions to building Nghe An homeland and expanding and protecting the country's borders.

Water procession at Qua Son Temple Festival. Photo: Luong Mai

According to old history and the legend of Qua Son temple, in 1039, Ly Nhat Quang was appointed by the king to oversee the tax collection in Nghe An with the title "Uy Minh Thai Tu". In 1041, Ly Nhat Quang was appointed as the Governor of Nghe An with the title "Uy Minh Hau Ly Nhat Quang".

This is an important milestone affirming the great role and influence of Ly Nhat Quang on Nghe An land. In 1044, King Ly Thai Tong promoted Ly Nhat Quang from the title of "Marquis" to the title of "King" to Uy Minh Vuong Ly Nhat Quang and granted him the right to "Tiet Viet" (that is, having the right to represent the king, being trusted by the king and being entrusted with the right to decide all political affairs in Nghe An).

During the process of replacing the king to rule Nghe An, with the royal path, close to the people, along with many policies and reforms to develop the economy, politics, culture... Ly Nhat Quang had great contributions in consolidating and building Nghe An from a "frontier" land, "fence" into an important town, a solid fortress in terms of military, economy, culture not only for the Ly dynasty but also for later dynasties.

The procession at Qua Son Temple Festival. Photo: Luong Mai

In 1057, Uy Minh Vuong Ly Nhat Quang became a saint and became a saint right at the foot of Qua Mountain. The people of Nghe An deeply mourned, cried, remembered and built a temple to worship him right where he became a saint and became a saint, called Qua Son Temple. Along with Qua Son Temple in Boi Son Commune, there are currently more than 30 other temples in Nghe An that have also been built to worship him. The author of the book "Viet Dien U Linh Tap" affirmed that he is the "lucky god of the whole Chau".

Through many historical events and ups and downs, due to time and war, today's Qua Son Temple no longer retains its former size and stature (7 buildings with 40 rooms in Ly Tran style). In 1952, bombs and bullets from French colonialists caused serious damage to the temple. The temple only has an ancient stone stele and his tomb left.

Implementing the policy of preserving, restoring and embellishing historical and cultural relics, in 1996, with the help of the Department of Culture of Nghe An province, the Party Committee, the government and the people of Do Luong district, and visitors from near and far, Qua Son Temple was gradually rebuilt right at the original location of the temple. On February 12, 1999, Qua Son Temple was ranked as a "National Historical and Cultural Relic" by the Ministry of Culture and Information according to Decision No. 05/QD-BVHTT. The 17th day of the 12th lunar month every year is the death anniversary of Uy Minh Vuong Ly Nhat Quang, also known as the Temple Chap Festival. The 19th and 20th day of the 1st lunar month every year is the day of the Qua Son Temple Festival.

The highlight of the Temple Festival is the procession to thank Lady But at Lady But Pagoda, also known as Tien Tich Tu, 4 km west of the temple in Lam Son Commune. According to legend, Lady But is the one who often helps Ly Nhat Quang in governing the country and is the one who showed Ly Nhat Quang the place of conversion and sainthood at the foot of Qua Mountain. Every two years, on even years, the procession follows the waterway upstream of Lam River and the road through 5 ancient villages. In each village, people organize solemn worshiping points to worship her.

This can also be called the Spring Festival, the people of the region on behalf of the people of Nghe An express their gratitude to the hero of the founding of the country, the tutelary god of the land, and at the same time, it is also an occasion to welcome Spring with martial spirit and traditional folk games. Each festival attracts tens of thousands of people in the region and visitors from all over the world to attend.

The restoration and maintenance of the Qua Son Temple Festival has deeply demonstrated the traditional morality of "When drinking water, remember its source", arousing the martial spirit and traditional cultural and artistic activities, meeting the needs and aspirations of the majority of people and children of the homeland living in all regions of the country. This is also an opportunity for people to have fun, entertain, expand exchanges and satisfy spiritual needs. Coming to the Qua Son Temple Festival, each person will feel the unique features of the festival space, the sacred realm, the solemnity of the ceremony and the attraction and excitement of the festival, which are typical of the "spiritual land" of the past.

Preserve and promote the value of relics

The festival has not yet come, but in the days after the Lunar New Year, people from all over the region and the province have come to Qua Son Temple to pray for peace, fortune and wealth. Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Quang - Vice Chairman of Do Luong District People's Committee said: The 2017 Qua Son Temple Festival is directed and organized by Do Luong District People's Committee with the direct participation of Boi Son, Ngoc Son, Lam Son, Bac Son, Trang Son, Dang Son communes and many other forces in the whole district. Starting from January 16 (lunar calendar), sports activities, cultural performances, traditional folk games, stalls selling specialties of Do Luong district... are held in the temple grounds.

Many people participate in the Qua Son Temple Festival. Photo: Luong Mai

On the evening of January 19, there will be an art performance to welcome the festival and then at 9 pm, the Announcement Ceremony will be held at Qua Son Temple. This year, the festival will especially organize the releasing of flower lanterns on Lam River in front of the temple gate. The official procession of the gods will start at 6 am on January 20 (lunar calendar). First is the God-transmigration ceremony, the new ceremony, then the water procession of Duc Thanh Uy Minh Vuong Ly Nhat Quang to give thanks at Ba But Temple. The thanksgiving ceremony at Ba But Temple with the ancient ceremony has the meaning of thanksgiving. Finally, the procession of Duc Thanh's palanquin back to the palace and the enthronement ceremony, ending the festival.

This year in particular, to serve the 2017 festival and the following years, Do Luong district has allocated the budget (along with socialized resources) to invest over 1 billion VND in building many construction items such as paving bricks on both sides along the horse house, around the main hall, next to the guard house and behind the Ta Vu and Huu Vu houses. Building traditional shops in the temple grounds with corrugated iron, re-planning the parking lot... In particular, the district has recorded CDs about the relic for propaganda, and republished the book Uy Minh Vuong Ly Nhat Quang with Nghe An.

The wish of the Party Committee, local government and people in the district is that the Qua Son Temple Festival will be recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage worthy of the merits of Uy Minh Vuong Ly Nhat Quang. At the same time, the Qua Son Temple relic will be preserved and restored to be more and more solemn and majestic, worthy of the temple's inherent stature.

Thanh Thuy - Luong Mai