From February 14 to February 16 (ie the 5th to 7th day of Giap Thin Lunar New Year), Quang Yen town, Quang Ninh province solemnly organizes the 2024 Tien Cong festival.
The Fairy Cong Festival is a national intangible cultural heritage with a history of more than 300 years old, preserved and preserved by the people of Ha Nam island region (Quang Yen town, Quang Ninh province) to this day. This is a unique festival to commemorate the Pioneers, the first people who built dikes, reclaimed the sea, established villages, and enlightened the Ha Nam island region in 1434.
The Fairy Cong Festival commemorates the Fairy Cong, the first people who built dikes, reclaimed the sea, established villages, and enlightened the Ha Nam island region (Quang Yen town, Quang Ninh province). Photo: HC
Festival spaces take place in communes and wards of Cam La, Phong Coc, Phong Hai, Yen Hai and Trung Ban village, (Lien Hoa commune). The center of the festival is at the Tien Cong temple relic (Cam La commune) and the Tien Cong family’s ancestral halls, which have been ranked as national relics. The most crowded and colorful festival is on the main day of the festival, January 7, with the most unique “receiving people” and “receiving Mr. Thuong” rituals in the country.
The Thuong elders are carried by their family and clan descendants in peach hammocks to the Tien Cong temple to pay their respects. Photo: HC
The ritual of “receiving people” and “receiving Mr. Thuong” is a unique and special feature of the Tien Cong festival of the Ha Nam island region (Quang Yen town, Quang Ninh province). Photo: HC
Elderly men and women who are 80 years old or older are respectfully called “Mr. Thuong” by the people. On the 7th day of the first lunar month – the main festival of Tien Cong, the Thuong elders receive a procession by their descendants using dug hammocks to the Tien Cong temple to pay gratitude to their ancestors. This is an opportunity for children and grandchildren in the family to show their filial piety to their grandparents and parents, and at the same time remember the merit of founding the island of the Immortals.
According to the organizing committee, the 2024 Tien Cong festival has 2 collective processions and 4 individual processions. In addition, there are more than 100 Elders leading the ceremony at Tien Cong temple. At this year’s Tien Cong festival, the festival organizers also coordinated with the families of the Thuong people to make a “Son-in-law station” to welcome the Thuong people, in order to educate the tradition of respecting parents and the elderly.
Mr. Pham Van Thanh and Mrs. Le Thi Quyen are the only living couple at the Tien Cong festival in 2024. Photo: HC
Both 80 years old, Mr. Pham Van Thanh and his wife, Mrs. Le Thi Quyen (Phong Coc ward, Quang Yen town, Quang Ninh province) are the only living couple at the 2024 Tien Cong festival. Children and grandchildren in the family Mr. Thanh said that the double longevity ceremony and procession to Tien Cong temple were prepared by his family from the beginning of the Lunar New Year.
Each procession of Mr. Thuong had a large number of descendants and people accompanying him. Photo: HC
In addition to traditional rituals, this year’s Tien Cong festival also takes place folk games such as: Tom whore’s nest, dum singing, swinging, human chess, dike building… attracting a large number of people to participate. join, cheer.
The Fairy God Festival in Ha Nam island has been preserved, preserved and promoted by the people for more than 300 years. In 2017, the Tien Cong festival was honored to be recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.
In addition to traditional rituals, the festival part of the 2024 Tien Cong festival also includes folk games such as human chess, tom whore nest, dum singing, swinging… Photo: HC
According to the leaders of Quang Yen town, 2024 will be 590 years since the Tien Cong openly cultivated and opened the land of Ha Nam island. The Fairy Cong Festival is an opportunity to review historical traditions, patriotism, national pride, and honor the Fairy Cong – the first people who built dikes, reclaimed the sea, established villages, and enlightened the people. Ha Nam island region; At the same time, it brings with it the ancient cultural values of the thousand-year-old capital of Thang Long.
This is also one of the activities of Quang Yen town to respond and celebrate the National Tourism Year 2024, implementing the annual working theme of the Quang Ninh Provincial Party Executive Committee “Improving the quality of economic growth ; develop culture and people rich in Quang Ninh identity”.