Back to Nguyen Xi Temple Festival
(Baonghean) -Every year on the last day of January, the Nguyen Xi Temple Festival is held in Nghi Hop Commune, Nghi Loc District, Nghe An Province. Remembering this holiday, descendants of the Nguyen Dinh family from all over and visitors from all over the world come here to offer incense to their ancestors.
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Finding the way to Nguyen Xy is quite difficult, because the temple is located quite separate from the residential area and you have to go around many roads of Nghi Long and Nghi Xa communes (if going from Vinh) or have to follow the road of Cua Lo port.
Although it is difficult to go there, if you set foot there for the first time, you will be amazed by a temple with an almost intact architecture, built solidly. This temple has been located here for more than 500 years, the temple was started by the order of King Le Thanh Tong in (1467), that is, two years after Nguyen Xi passed away (1465). The temple is called in Chinese characters Cuong Quoc Cong Tu (Cuong Quoc Cong Temple), and in Nom, Nguyen Xi Temple. People also call it Nguyen Dinh family temple.
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After many restorations, the temple is now divided into 3 main areas including the "flower display" area, the "pond bridge" area, and the "main hall" area. In particular, the main hall area still retains many valuable artifacts such as stone steles, dragon palanquins, gilded scrolls, tiger lion statues made of jackfruit wood, bronze bells, etc.
Nguyen Xi Temple Festival is held on January 30 and 1/2 (lunar calendar) which is also the celebration day that people in the communes of Nghi Loc district have been holding for hundreds of years. As one of the talented generals of the Le Dynasty, during his lifetime, Nguyen Xi and Le Loi had more than ten years of hardships, life and death, bravely and talentedly achieved many glorious victories in the resistance war against the Ming army as well as in the process of building the country and expanding its territory.
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Remembering him, later generations still tell the story of Nguyen Xi having to sacrifice his fatherly love and beat to death his son who was less than a year old in heart-wrenching pain, to dispel suspicion, devise a plan to destroy the rebels Le Nghi, put Le Tu Thanh on the throne, and establish the Le Thanh Tong Dynasty, the most prosperous dynasty in medieval history.
Thanks to the great merit of "Grand Master Cuong Quoc Cong, special grace to found the country, Thuy nghia vu, Thuong thuong dang ton than Nguyen Xi", unlike many other festivals, Nguyen Xi temple festival is organized very solemnly and respectfully. The festival is also organized more elaborately with the ceremony being focused more than the festival.
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In the 2009 festival season, in addition to the procession of Cuong Quoc Cong Nguyen Xi, there are also proclamation ceremonies, great sacrifice ceremonies, incense offering and flower offering ceremonies at temples and tombs. In addition, the festival includes camping, drumming, cockfighting, volleyball, and performing arts...
Talking about this spiritual cultural activity, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Hoa - Chairman of Nghi Hop commune could not hide his pride when telling us: "People of Nghi Hop and neighboring communes look forward to this festival every year, it is truly an opportunity for descendants to gather and show gratitude to their ancestors, to the talented general Nguyen Xi. We are also very proud because over the years, the festival organizing committee has received a lot of material and spiritual help from descendants in the family and from the provincial and local authorities and departments in protecting, preserving, collecting and restoring the temple".
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Another son of the Nguyen Dinh family, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Van - currently working at the Vietnam Institute of Energy and Atomic Energy, cannot help but be moved every time he returns to his hometown, especially on occasions like this. He confided that; Not only does he miss his hometown at the end of January, but the Nghi Loc Association of Fellow Countrymen and Nguyen Dinh descendants in Hanoi is also regularly organized with many positive activities such as the association for promoting education, establishing a fund to build his hometown, visiting and encouraging each other in times of joy and sorrow...
The Nguyen Xi Temple Festival will continue tomorrow, February 1 (Lunar calendar). Coming to this festival at the beginning of spring is also an opportunity for us to spread our hearts, towards the truth - goodness - beauty in life, to open our minds, accumulate virtues, meet good people, build a humane lifestyle, and make the majesty of our ancestors shine brighter and brighter...
Article and photos: My Ha - Thanh Phuc
