The Legend of Con Ran

(Baonghean) - On the way to Tien Hoa village, Thanh Xuan commune (Thanh Chuong), there is a high mound of land covered with lush, dense trees in the middle of the field, that is Con Ran - a familiar image related to a legend and belief that has long been associated with the people here.

According to the elders, during the feudal period, the people of Tien Hoa village did not have a long life expectancy, the longest lived was only 40 years old. Therefore, when the villagers went outside to study, do business or join the army for the court, when they reached their forties, they all asked to return to their hometown to prepare for their funerals. One time, a geomancer on his way to Bich Trieu commune (now Thanh Xuan commune) met a soldier who was also on his way to Tien Hoa village. The geomancer asked about the people and life of his hometown, the soldier told him honestly. The geomancer asked to follow him to find out the situation. After many days traveling around Tien Hoa, he realized that this land was shaped like a big buffalo but there was no "ràn" (local language meaning "pen") for the buffalo to rest, so the buffalo often destroyed it, so the people did not have a long life expectancy. The geomancer advised the villagers to dig the ground and build a mound in the middle of the field, on which they planted green trees to overcome it. Indeed, when the trees were lush and green, with tall trunks and large canopies, the life expectancy of the people of Tien Hoa village increased, with many people even living to over ninety years old. Everyone was grateful to the geomancer and called that island Con Ran, constantly cultivating, cultivating, and protecting it so that Con Ran would become greener and greener. The above story is still remembered by the people of Tien Hoa village and is always considered a symbolic image of their homeland with deep pride.

Geographically, the Con Ran area is located north of Tien Hoa village. If there were no Con Ran, it would be a large, flat field stretching to Dai Hue mountain and Lam river, surrounded by other mountain ranges. This type of terrain is called the "Northern plain" - when the hot and cold seasons come, the mountain winds blow strongly everywhere, carrying harmful organisms as well as other infectious diseases that directly invade the village. At that time, medical conditions were limited, so diseases easily incubated and developed. When building a high mound in the middle of a flat field, planting tall trees with wide canopies, the mound becomes a natural screen, not only protecting and blocking the poisonous wind but also a green lung that spreads fresh air to the entire village. From there, it is understandable that the life expectancy of the people increased. Therefore, we see that the fictionalization of the image of a geomancer and the feng shui theory associated with Con Ran by the people of Tien Hoa village in the past was only for the purpose of making the story easy to circulate and penetrate deeply into folklore.

There was a time when, due to extreme awareness, the trees of Con Ran were cut down and the island was gradually leveled. But later, the people of Tien Hoa village continued to build up land to make Con Ran higher, planted more trees to make Con Ran greener, and regulate the climate of the village. Generations of people from Tien Hoa village and Thanh Xuan commune have always been proud of Con Ran, considering it a beloved symbol of the village, to have the awareness to protect it.

Van Thang