A traditional festival in the people's mind

(Baonghean) -Since ancient times, Nam Dan has been known everywhere as a land of talented people. It can be said that Mai Hac De (real name Mai Thuc Loan) is the one who started the tradition of studiousness, bravery and resilience of Nam Dan.

Coming to Nam Dan in the early days of Spring, we witnessed the eager, joyful atmosphere on every face of the people here. Happy because Spring has come, bringing with it faith and hope for change and improvement in life. Happy because the King Mai Temple Festival is coming soon, the festival coincides with the 1,300th anniversary of the Hoan Chau uprising (713-2013). The name, career and merit of King Mai have become the pride and spiritual strength not only of the people of Nam Dan, the people of Nghe An but also of the entire Vietnamese nation. Because the farmer born and raised in Dun Mountain - Lam River is one of the outstanding children who bravely lit the flame of indomitable and resilient struggle to illuminate the spirit of the entire nation during the thousand years of Chinese domination.

Mai Thuc Loan was orphaned at an early age and was adopted by a friend of his father. From a young age, Mai Thuc Loan showed exceptional strength and strong will, often winning high prizes in wrestling competitions. When he grew up, he opened a wrestling school, established a hunting guild, and recruited young men in the region to practice martial arts to plan for great things. In 713, people everywhere groaned under the brutal, harsh rule and the exploitation and plundering policies of the Tang Dynasty (China). Mai Thuc Loan raised the flag of righteousness and stood up to lead the Hoan Chau uprising. The uprising started from Dun hill (Nam Dan), then spread throughout the country and Mai Thuc Loan officially ascended the throne, taking the title of Mai Hac De. He directed the construction of citadels, ramparts and established the capital Van An (now in Van Dien commune and Nam Dan town), and organized the construction and development of forces (at times up to hundreds of thousands of troops), practicing martial arts day and night to plan for the long term. The uprising, which was supported by people all over the country, caused the Tang Dynasty's army to be terrified. In 714, Mai Hac De marched his army to besiege Tong Binh Citadel (present-day Hanoi). The Tang Dynasty's governor at that time, Quach So Khach, did not dare to resist and was forced to abandon the citadel and flee back to his country.



Procession at the King Mai Temple Festival. Photo: Sy Minh.

Faced with that situation, the Tang Dynasty sent troops to suppress, and the Hoan Chau insurgents fought back fiercely. After many fierce battles stretching from the Red River Delta to the Lam River Delta, Van An Citadel was finally captured, and Mai Hac De had to accept defeat. When the insurgents were defeated, Mai Thuc Loan retreated into the deep forest and later died of a serious illness. Although he failed, the hero of Hoan Chau lit up the belief in future victory, a vivid testament to the indomitable and eternal vitality of the nation. The Hoan Chau uprising was one of the important premises for our people to rise up and gain independence and autonomy in the following centuries. When escaping from the yoke of the Northern feudal domination, regaining independence and autonomy, and building a peaceful life, the people of Nam Dan repaired the mausoleum, built temples, and held annual festivals in early spring to commemorate an outstanding son of their homeland, while at the same time building pride and traditions of their homeland...

We visited Mrs. Nguyen Thi Ho (Phan Boi Chau block, Nam Dan town), at the age of 86, but her memories of the Mai King Temple Festival have not faded. She still remembers when she was a little girl, her mother carried her out to the alley to watch the procession. Leading the way was the lion dance team, followed by the palanquin and royal edict processions, the procession followed in neat rows, seemingly endless. Growing up, she was able to join the procession for many years and immerse herself in the joyful and exciting atmosphere of the festival. Among them, she liked the singing competition of the fabric guild and the singing of ca tru the most. Following Mrs. Ho's introduction, we visited Mr. Nguyen Van Do (98 years old, Mrs. Ho's brother). Old age and weak health, from walking to eating, he had to rely on his children and grandchildren, but he could still tell us about the festival days of the past, when he was still a young man. In those days, every time the Mai King Temple Festival came around, he and his friends in the village would compete in wrestling and boat racing on the river. For many years, he was one of the best wrestlers in the festival, receiving the village award. According to Mr. Do's memory, the festival in the past often lasted 5-7 days, not only people in the area but also people from all over the place came here to attend the festival.

After two fierce wars, the King Mai temple was destroyed, and there were no conditions for restoration and embellishment, so it was seriously degraded. And during this time, due to war and bombs, local people did not have the conditions to organize festivals regularly. The care and worshiping were still respected by the people, especially on holidays, New Year's and full moon days. Ms. Pham Thi Hop - Lam Son block (Nam Dan town), living near the King Mai temple said: "During the war and even after the war, there were no conditions to organize annual festivals, but on New Year's and full moon days, especially the full moon of January, people in the area prepared trays of food, fruits, and incense to come to the temple to offer, worship and pray for health, peace and prosperity. Later, not only people in the area, but also from many other places also came to worship, people always wished that one day the King Mai temple festival would be restored". This was said by Ms. Le Thi Hoa - an officer in charge of conservation and museum work at the Culture - Sports Center of Nam Dan district. In 1996, the King Mai Temple was recognized and ranked as a National Historical - Cultural Relic. At the same time, the Festival was also gradually restored.

In addition to worshiping, recreational activities such as boat racing, wrestling, and cockfighting have begun to reappear. In 2001, to meet the legitimate needs of the people, Nam Dan district decided to organize an annual festival at the beginning of spring on a district scale. Up to now, more than 10 years have passed and the festival has been organized on an increasingly large and methodical scale, meeting the spiritual and recreational needs of local people and visitors from near and far...

Tuong Anh