(Baonghean.vn) - On the morning of April 2nd, huYen Thanh district solemnly organized the opening ceremony of the 4th Gam Temple Festival in 2015.
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| A large number of people came to attend the festival. |
The Gam Temple and Pagoda are located in Xuan village, Xuan Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district) - a place where many generals and heroes stopped, founded settlements, and recruited soldiers. Besides its picturesque scenery, Yen Thanh also preserves historical evidence and numerous architectural relics: communal houses, temples, pagodas, and shrines, along with traditional festivals dating back thousands of years.
The Gam Temple Festival is a typical cultural festival of Yen Thanh district. And the majestic Gam Mountain is becoming a spiritual and ecological destination that is increasingly attracting tourists from all over to visit and explore.
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| Comrade Nguyen Viet Hung - Vice Chairman of the District People's Committee - delivered the opening remarks. |
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| Comrade Nguyen Tien Loi - Chairman of the District People's Committee - beat the drum to officially open the festival. |
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| Venerable Thich Truc Thong Kien - Abbot of Gam Pagoda - rang the bell to officially open the festival. |
Gam Temple and Pagoda is an ancient and sacred complex with beautiful and unique architecture, featuring exquisite carvings and intricate patterns in various materials, reflecting the clever ideas, skillful hands, aspirations, and reverence of the people for the merits of the gods, Buddha, and their ancestors.
The temple was built during the Tran Dynasty to worship deities who contributed to protecting the nation and people, bringing favorable weather, such as Cao Son, Cao Cac, Sat Hai Dai Vuong Hoang Ta Thon, Ly Nhat Quang, Tu Vi Thanh Nuong, and Ly Thien Cuong. Gam Pagoda is a religious architectural work, built by the people to worship Buddha Shakyamuni and the Bodhisattvas.
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| Offering |
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| District leaders offer incense at Gam Temple. |
This year's festival is particularly significant because it coincides with the groundbreaking ceremony for the Truc Lam Yen Thanh Zen Monastery and the An Quoc Great Buddha statue, located within the Ru Gam spiritual and ecological tourism complex. This initiative was led by Venerable Thich Thanh Tu, abbot Thich Truc Thong Kien; with the generous contributions of General Pham Van Tra; Buddhist lay follower Trinh Van Muoi; and the meritorious deeds of many monks, nuns, Buddhists, and people from all over the country.
On the afternoon of April 2nd, traditional sports competitions continued to take place at the Gam Temple festival.
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| A drum-beating competition is held between the clans in the village. |
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| Playing table tennis. |
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| A competition to walk across a bridge between the villages. |
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Playing card games.
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| Volleyball match at the Gám Temple Festival. |
Xuan Hoang
