The "pearls" in the ancient village covenant

(Baonghean) - Up to now, My Thanh village, Hung My commune, Hung Nguyen (formerly known as Ngoc Hot village, Do Yen commune, Do Yen canton, Hung Nguyen prefecture, Nghe An province) still preserves a village covenant in Chinese characters dating back about 200 years. This village covenant was discussed and drafted by all the people and the local leaders of Ngoc Hot village since the 5th year of Gia Long (1806). The basic content of the village covenant regulates the organization of annual rituals in Ngoc Hot village (field sacrifice ceremony, main festival, sacrifice to the lord, thanksgiving ceremony, longevity celebration ceremony, opening ceremony, blessing ceremony...) and regulations on weddings, joys and sorrows...

The village covenant consists of 19 articles. In addition to the regulations on organizing rituals during the year, the village covenant also mentions the punishment of those involved in drinking and gambling. Specifically: "If the village organizes a meal, anyone who gets drunk and talks nonsense, if they are famous and have a good reputation, they will be fined 3 quan, and if they are commoners, they will be punished with 30 lashes" (article 18). Or: "If anyone in the village gambles and is discovered by the village chief, or discovered by a local person and caught red-handed, they will be fined with good wine and 12 quan, and those sitting on the mat will be punished with 6 quan and 30 lashes each as punishment. Or if groups of 5 or 3 gamble on various items, and before the opening ceremony of the first lunar month, they will go on a spring outing, then they will be allowed to be excused, but after the opening ceremony, they must strictly follow the rules, and they are not allowed to evade" (article 19).

First page of the village charter of Ngoc Hot

In the 33rd year of Tu Duc (1880), considering that some of the contents of the village covenant were no longer suitable, all the people and dignitaries of Ngoc Hot village met again to discuss and amend them. In terms of form, the provisions in the new village covenant of Ngoc Hot village were expressed more concisely and succinctly. In terms of content, in addition to the provisions on rituals during the year, some new provisions aimed at encouraging learning, employing talented people and maintaining order and security were also included in the village covenant. In particular, this village covenant devoted 3/19 provisions to encouraging learning and examinations. This proves that for a long time, Ngoc Hot village had a tradition of loving learning and that learning was not only a private matter of each family but also a common matter of the whole village and commune. The village rules stipulate: "The village rules state that if someone passes the imperial examination, the congratulatory money is 60 quan, 1 banner, betel and areca nuts, and congratulatory wine. If a bachelor is awarded 30 quan, 1 banner, betel and areca nuts" (Article 8); "If there is a scholar in the village who is studying and planning to take the examination, the village rules state a farewell gift of 3 quan" (Article 10); "Any family with a child studying, regardless of whether he passes or fails, will be exempted from all tax and corvee duties according to the country's rules to enrich his literary style" (Article 11).

In order to ensure security and order and preserve traditional customs, the village convention of Ngoc Hot devotes 7/19 articles to the punishment of violators. This is the regulation for punishing those who destroy public property and the interests of the entire community: "Anyone who destroys roads, breaks through the earth's veins, damages bridges and culverts, selfishly harms others, that person must compensate as before and be fined 6 quan" (Article 12). And this is the regulation for punishing those who destroy cultural and spiritual works: "Anyone in the village who damages the temple of the Saint, the pagoda worshiping Buddha, or harms trees, the village chief or another person who catches him will be rewarded 1 quan, and that person will be fined 6 quan, if he knows and conceals it when discovered, he will be fined 2 quan" (Article 12). The village covenant also stipulates quite strict penalties for property theft: "Anyone in the village who steals rice, crops, and property from other people's fields and gardens and is caught and reported by the village chief or another person will be fined 3 quan of money, and the property and other items must be returned to the owner and must write a petition to amend and reform to eliminate the crime. If they stubbornly refuse to admit it, or are ashamed to deny it, they will be immediately arrested and brought back to be punished. The dignitaries will discuss and decide that they will not be allowed to hold positions in the village for life" (Article 15). To maintain harmony in each family, the people of Ngoc Hot village came to an agreement: "Anyone who commits a crime of disloyalty, disharmony, or bad deeds such as a child insulting his parents, a sister-in-law insulting her brother-in-law, a younger brother insulting his elder brother, or a younger person insulting an elder, if discovered and reported by relatives who saw and heard the crime accurately, will be fined in varying amounts depending on the severity of the crime. A light crime is fined 3 quan, a heavy crime is fined 6 quan" (Article 18).

Perhaps due to the construction and drafting of a fairly strict village charter, which both ensures strictness and contains profound humanity, the people of Ngoc Hot village have always preserved the good cultural values ​​left by their ancestors. Generations of people here have always been conscious of reminding their descendants to preserve good customs, preserve the land and customs, and ensure standards of behavior and communication in the family as well as in society. Therefore, up to now, My Thanh village (old Ngoc Hot) has still maintained many traditional beauties in the village community life, the village and neighborhood relationship is always strong, and security and order are always ensured.

We are launching the movement "All people unite to build a cultural life in residential areas" and building cultural villages, in which villages are encouraged to build village covenants. Although it was drafted over 200 years ago and was born in a feudal society, the village covenant of Ngoc Hot village still has many reasonable points, which are worth our reference.

Cong Kien