Quynh Doi - When culture is the foundation of socio-economic development
According to Party Secretary Nguyen Dinh Hien, the Party's policy in building new rural areas in Quynh Doi must start from culture, using culture as a breakthrough and foundation for socio-economic development. This involves integrating traditional and modern culture to create the unique character of the first cultural village recognized by the Provincial People's Committee. From there, the mass cultural and artistic movement has developed extensively from the commune to the villages.
(Baonghean)According to Party Secretary Nguyen Dinh Hien, the Party's policy in building new rural areas in Quynh Doi must start from culture, using culture as a breakthrough and foundation for socio-economic development. This involves integrating traditional and modern culture to create the unique character of the first cultural village recognized by the Provincial People's Committee. From there, the mass cultural and artistic movement has developed extensively from the commune to the villages.
One of the significant achievements of the Party Committee and the local government of Quynh Doi commune in preserving and promoting the traditional values of their homeland is the successful restoration of the Ky Phuc (prayer for good fortune) festival, which had been lost for nearly 70 years. Mr. Ho Dac Thang, a cultural officer of Quynh Doi commune, said: "This festival has rich historical and cultural values reflecting the identity of a village with a history of formation, existence, and development spanning over 634 years. The festival consists of two main parts: the ceremonial part and the festive part. The ceremonial part begins with a procession from the village's guardian temple around the village to the communal house for the ceremony. This includes the placement of the sacred palanquin and the offering ceremony; the closing ceremony and the return of the palanquin to the guardian temple. The festive part includes folk games such as: calligraphy performances, wrestling performances, water puppetry, tug-of-war, and cultural and artistic performances…"
After a long period of decline, in 2012, with the help of the Central Institute of Culture, the Ky Phuc Festival was revived. This festival not only demonstrates the spirit of unity and solidarity among the villagers, but also provides an opportunity for them to express their reverence for the deities who helped the village reclaim land, establish settlements, protect and build the village. At the same time, it is a chance for villagers and their descendants from afar to gather, showcase their talents, and recall and promote the beautiful traditional cultural features of the village and commune, preserving them for future generations…
Following the Ky Phuc Ceremony held on the 9th and 10th of January, more than 30 clans in the commune also organized ceremonial activities lasting from the 10th to the 15th of the lunar month. The Party Committee and the commune government also coordinated with the clans to organize a ceremony to receive certificates recognizing three clans as Historical and Cultural Relics: the Tomb and Temple of Ho Sy Duong; the church and tombstone of Ho Phi Tich; and the Duong clan church. The Party Committee and the commune government also pay special attention to the preservation and restoration of historical and cultural relics in the area. Currently, the entire commune has 8 recognized historical and cultural relics, including 6 national-level historical relics and 2 provincial-level relics, attracting hundreds of tourists each year to visit and learn about the traditional values of the locality. From 2002 to 2012, the locality promoted the socialization of the construction, upgrading, and restoration of historical relics with a total value of 2.381 billion VND, of which the State contributed 330 million VND and social contributions amounted to over 2 billion VND.
The Quỳnh Đôi village communal house is where traditional cultural activities are held.
On average, the commune holds 3-5 cultural and artistic performances annually to celebrate holidays and serve local political objectives. In addition, there are grassroots cultural activities at village cultural centers. The commune has 3 sports clubs, 1 poetry club, and 1 horticultural club, all operating effectively and with high quality. There is also a library with over 2000 books and newspapers serving the people, and an internet room with 5 computers serving an estimated 1000 users annually for learning, production, and business purposes.
To meet the people's cultural and spiritual needs, the commune has also focused on consolidating, building, and perfecting cultural and information facilities worth tens of billions of dong. To date, all 8 villages have cultural houses with playgrounds and exercise areas. Each cultural house has a legal library. The movement for weddings according to the new cultural lifestyle has been well received and implemented by many families, officials, Party members, and the people. In funerals, some outdated customs have been reduced, such as not hiring bands or scattering paper offerings, demonstrating a civilized approach to spiritual and cultural activities. The quality of the movement to build cultural families and cultural villages is constantly improving. The percentage of families and villages achieving the title of cultural family and cultural village annually ranges from 82-90%, reaching 89% in 2012, with families participating in sports reaching 28%; all 8 villages have consistently maintained the title of cultural village, achieving 100%.
Comrade Nguyen Van Quy, Head of the Propaganda Department of Quynh Luu District, said: The Central Resolution No. 5 (8th Congress), which the Party Committee of Quynh Doi Commune concretized in Resolution 03-NQ/DU on strengthening leadership to improve cultural life in the locality, has truly come into life, reflected in the sense of responsibility of cadres, Party members and people in participating in building cultural life; preserving and promoting national cultural heritage; restoring and developing traditional festivals along with many new cultural values, cultural products and cultural activities that have been formed and developed on the basis of inheriting and promoting traditional cultural values, contributing to building people and building a healthy cultural environment, creating a solid spiritual foundation to improve the quality of life for the people, and contributing to the successful achievement of the socio-economic development goals of the locality.
Text and photos: Khanh Ly
