Solemn and respectful Mai King Temple Festival

(Baonghean.vn) - Spring is the season of festivals. The opening of the 2014 festival in Nghe An province and the whole country is the Mai King Temple Festival. The 2014 Mai King Temple Festival was officially opened on the morning of February 13 (January 14, the year of the Horse) at Mai King's tomb, attracting a large number of people and tourists to join the festival.

Although it was drizzling and cold, from early morning on many Nam Dan roads leading to the tomb of King Mai under Dun Son mountain, Van Dien commune (Nam Dan district), people still followed each other to come. Toothless and chewing betel, Nguyen Thi Thanh, 75 years old, in Van Dien commune, said: "Today is the King Mai Temple festival, so my children and I woke up at 5 am to prepare to go to the festival early. When I arrived, I saw the joyful atmosphere, many people older than me, including students and younger children, were all very excited to welcome the traditional festival in their hometown." From the district leaders, the departments in charge of reception and ceremonies to the non-professional actors in the mass art troupe, the lion dance team, the dragon dance team, and the procession team were all present very early to participate in serving the opening of the King Mai Temple festival in 2014 successfully.

Procession from 4 relics to King Mai's Tomb

Crowds of people braved the rain to attend the festival.

At the front yard of the King Mai tomb in Dun Mountain - where the opening ceremony of the King Mai Temple Festival was held in 2014, a large number of people and tourists gathered to witness the opening ceremony of the festival. Through the procession activities from 4 relics in the King Mai relic complex from Nam Thai, town, Nam Thuong commune to the King Mai tomb; the festival drum performance, dragon dance, lion dance... truly contributed to recreating the heroic spirit of the Hoan Chau uprising 13 centuries ago. The opening speech of the festival and the funeral oration recited at the opening ceremony brought those present at the festival back to history, with the heroic echoes of the Hoan Chau uprising of the hero Mai Thuc Loan and the generals, establishing the independent Van An country for 10 years (713 - 722). The Hoan Chau uprising has entered the history of Vietnam, being one of the biggest uprisings of the period against the Tang Dynasty, an important milestone on the path of fighting for national independence after 1,000 years of Chinese domination. To remember the merits of Mai Hac De and his generals, the local people built a temple and every year, on the occasion of the full moon of January, they excitedly organize the Mai King Temple Festival.

Mai King Temple Festival is a historical and cultural festival held to honor and commemorate the national hero Mai Thuc Loan. Mr. Thai Van Nong - Chairman of Nam Dan District People's Committee, affirmed: "The merits of King Mai Hac De and the generals are not only eternal through history, horizontal lacquered boards, parallel sentences, genealogy, stone steles and gilded sacrificial objects or the "beautiful words" on the royal decrees in the shrines in the relics, but mainly "deeply rooted" in the consciousness of the people in Nam Dan through the Mai King Temple Festival held annually. The Mai King Temple Festival held annually is a continuation of the patriotic tradition, the morality of "remembering the source of water when drinking" of our people, affirming the eternal vitality of history, serving as a provision for generations to follow on the path of building and defending the Fatherland today. At the same time, through the Mai King Temple Festival, it contributes to preserving and promoting the unique folk cultural features of Nghe An in general and Nam Dan in particular".

The grand ceremony was held according to traditional rituals.

At the 2014 Mai King Temple Festival, in addition to the activities expressing the sincere gratitude of the people to the national hero Mai Thuc Loan and the generals through the ceremonies such as the opening ceremony, the funeral oration, the procession, the incense offering ceremony in memory of King Mai, the great ceremony, the thanksgiving ceremony, there were many activities imbued with the folk cultural identity, meeting the cultural enjoyment needs of the people such as wrestling, swinging, cockfighting, chess... Mr. Ha Hien, 80 years old, currently living in Nha Trang, was present at the festival, shared: "I am from Vinh, I have been away from home for decades, this time I returned home, through a relative I knew that Nam Dan was holding the Mai King Temple Festival and took a taxi here. Being immersed in the atmosphere of the festival, I was filled with indescribable emotions. I was really happy and very impressed with the solemn and grand opening ceremony". As for Mr. Nguyen Van Nhat, in Ho Chi Minh City, he felt that the space and location of the mausoleum and tomb of King Mai were located in the sacred atmosphere of mountains and rivers, with their backs leaning against Hung Son Mountain (Dun Mountain), facing Lam River, a very sacred "land of elephants and dragons". Therefore, at the beginning of the New Year, he often returned to participate in the festival to burn incense and ask for King Mai's protection.

Minh Chi