Elevating Vac Village Festival

(Baonghean) -This year, Lang Vac enters the 14th festival season with pride in the nation's origins, honoring the tangible and intangible values ​​of the ancient Vietnamese people from thousands of years ago. That is why the Party Committee, government, people of Thai Hoa Town and the people of the Northwest region eagerly welcome Lang Vac Festival with all the expectations and hopes of enhancing the cultural, historical and spiritual values ​​of the festival associated with eco-tourism.

In 1999, after 26 years with 5 large-scale excavations by domestic and foreign archaeologists, Lang Vac was ranked as a national archaeological site by the Ministry of Culture and Information. Also from this time, Lang Vac cultural festival was formed and people across the country really knew the historical and cultural values ​​of the ancient Vietnamese people, during the Hung King period, existing through the artifacts found in Lang Vac.

The discovery of a treasure trove of artifacts in Lang Vac, including bronze drums, daggers, axes, elephant and tiger statues, and many stone, ceramic, and glass objects dating back 2,000 to 2,500 years ago, originated from the process of digging and building the Hon Xuong dam to serve agricultural development. In mid-1972, when workers were digging the dam, they discovered 5 ancient bronze drums and many bronze daggers. The incident was reported to the Department of Culture at that time and was investigated by all levels and sectors.

Mr. Vu Cong Hoi, 67 years old, currently Chairman of the Elderly Association of Nghia Hoa Commune, Deputy Manager of the Temple of the Ancient Vietnamese in Vac Village, said: When we discovered the Bronze Drum and many precious artifacts, we were really surprised. Because before, we only knew the legend of Vac Village with the legend: One night, the god appeared in a dream to the village chief to gather the villagers by the lagoon in the middle of the village, he would give the treasures of heaven and earth for the village to organize a festival. In the morning, when the villagers had gathered, they suddenly saw a large bronze cauldron floating in the middle of the lagoon, with 10 small cauldrons and many bowls, chopsticks, bowls, and plates inside. The villagers joyfully opened the festival. After 3 days of partying, the villagers held a thanksgiving ceremony and returned the treasures to the gods. Everyone carried the cauldron back to the lagoon, while bowing down, the bronze cauldron slowly floated to the middle of the lagoon and sank. From then on, the village was named Vac lagoon, then called the village name Vac village. Every year on a set date, villagers hold a festival to thank the river god and mountain god for bringing a prosperous life.

If the legend of Vac lagoon is considered a spiritual element, the accidental discovery of ancient Vietnamese artifacts during the dam building process in Vac village is considered a sacred connection between the legend and the reality of ancient Vietnamese life thousands of years ago. In 5 excavations of 374 ancient tombs, archaeologists found 1,228 valuable artifacts, dating back to the time when the Hung Kings founded the country. This relic contributes significantly to our belief and finding our way back to our national roots.







Bronze cauldron procession and drum and gong performance at the 2012 Lang Vac Festival. Photo: SM

In 2013, Vac village entered the 14th festival season, taking place on March 18, 19 and 20 of the solar calendar. According to the plan, at the temple of the ancient Vietnamese and the Hung Kings in the Vac Village Archaeological Site, the government and people of Nghia Hoa commune will hold the "Khai quang" ceremony on the afternoon of March 17, which is February 6 of the lunar calendar; the government and people of Thai Hoa town and people throughout the region will hold the Yet ceremony on March 18, which is February 7 of the lunar calendar. The incense offering ceremony and the opening of the Vac Village Festival will be held on the morning of March 19, which is February 8 of the lunar calendar. Mr. Ha Song Huong - Secretary of the Party Committee of Nghia Hoa Commune, excitedly said: "Every festival season, the people of Vac village and the whole Nghia Hoa commune, and more broadly, the whole Thai Hoa town, are really happy to welcome people from all over. Especially, from 2008 until now, after the Temple of the ancient Vietnamese and the Hung Kings was completed, people coming here have a place to remember the merits of their ancestors thousands of years ago. In recent festival seasons, a large number of tourists have gathered, which further encourages and motivates the people of Vac village to continue to preserve and inherit the traditional cultural values ​​of the nation."

As for the festival part of Vac Village Festival this year, there will be 9 cultural activities, including: Camping competition, gong, performing arts, festival beauty contest, singing competition, ethnic minority dance, swing performance, blindfolded pot smashing, and stilt walking competition; As for sports activities, there are 7 competitions, including: Volleyball, wrestling, tug of war, throwing ball, pushing stick, card chess, cockfighting. Mr. To Thanh Son, Head of the Department of Culture and Sports of Thai Hoa Town said: "Through 14 times of organizing the festival, we have accumulated experience and carefully prepared so that every tourist coming to Vac Village and Thai Hoa feels satisfied. Throughout the activities of the Vac Village Festival, the government and people of Thai Hoa Town want to promote cultural values ​​imbued with national identity, while upgrading and developing in accordance with current reality. The important thing we aim for is to raise the level of the festival each year to reach cultural, historical and spiritual values ​​associated with eco-tourism." Accordingly, the festival will create a connection to attract tourists to destinations in Thai Hoa Town such as Ru Cam - Vac Village - Bau Sen Forest Park - Uncle Ho's Memorial Site visiting Dong Hieu. Currently, these connection points have been formed and are being invested in construction, in which, the Memorial Area of ​​Uncle Ho visiting Dong Hieu on December 10, 1961 has been planned in detail with an area of ​​nearly 10 hectares, with a total construction investment of over 92 billion VND.

This year, Thai Hoa Town celebrates its 5th anniversary (May 10, 2008 - May 10, 2013), therefore, organizing the Vac Village Festival well is considered one of the key tasks of the Party Committee, government and people of the Town. Vac Village is recognized by the State as one of the origins of Dong Son culture, therefore, the Vac Village Festival is maintained and developed as a continuation of the source of the nation's cultural quintessence.

Nguyen Son