1 About Nhuo Son Temple
Nhuoc Son Temple is located on the banks of the peaceful Red River, about 41 km from Mau A town (Van Yen district). This historical relic is located in Ngoc Chau village, Chau Que Ha commune, worshiping Ha Khac Chuong – a martial arts general with a talent for commanding troops in the Tran Dynasty.
Nhuoc Son Temple with ancient design, bold sacred and traditional atmosphere
Nhuoc Son Temple was built facing the North, with an irregular shape, structure in the form of a nail, divided into two basic parts, the main architecture and the sub-architecture. The total area of the temple is 191.44 square meters, keeping more than 10 relics including bronze bells, crosswords from ancient times, Ha Chuong statue cast in bronze about 28.5cm high, weighing 67kg, incense bowl. … On November 16, 2005 the Ruoc Son temple relic site was ranked as a national historical and cultural relic by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Local people here are used to calling Nhuoc Son temple by its local name, Loong Meac or At Meac. The temple is located on a large area with flat terrain right on the banks of the Red River, built by the people to show gratitude and respect to the hero Ha Chuong.
The Nhuoc Son Temple Festival is held every year attracting a large number of tourists from all over the world
According to the legends of the village elders here, from generation to generation, the merits of Mr. Ha Chuong are passed orally. It is said that during the second resistance war against the Yuan Mongols, Ha Khac Chuong had great merit in pursuing the enemy, ambushing them and pushing them into a ready-made ambush trap. Thanks to that, our army won a resounding victory, smashing the enemy, leaving them without a piece of armor. Unfortunately, during the battle, Ha Chuong was seriously injured and died. His body was taken to the other side of the river to be buried, right at the mouth of Nhuoc Son waterfall.
See more: Searching for Suoi Tien Temple – a mysterious sacred land in Yen Bai
2 About the Nhuoc Son Temple Festival
The festival at the Hang Nhuoc Son temple is held on the 20th day of the 9th lunar month every year, in Chau Que Ha commune. The festival attracts a large number of locals and tourists from all over the world who come here to offer incense to commemorate the great merits of Ha Chuong as well as to send prayers for a favorable, prosperous and happy life.
Nhuo Son Temple Festival with the participation of many locals and tourists
Ceremony Part:
In addition to the customs similar to the belief in worshiping the holy mother, at Nhuoc Son temple, attention is also paid to the Tu Viet ceremony, also known as “breaking measurement” – going to the field. This custom is held twice a year at the temple on January 20 and September 20 of the lunar calendar.
September 20th, it is said by generations that General Ha Chuong died. Therefore, people will prepare to make offerings of nuggets and other offerings, both to offer and to treat guests from across the country who come to the temple of incense and smoke to worship him.
Time of Nhuoc Son Temple Festival: from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The festival is presided over: the elders, the chief general, the deputy assistant, the patron…
Groups of people are bringing offerings to Nhuo Son Temple
At 5 a.m., soldiers will direct the preparations like slaughtering pigs, which must be strong and large pigs. Pigs will be slaughtered right on the banks of the Red River, the blood will be divided into 12 pots to offer to the Dragon King, the town guarding the Ruo Son waterfall.
At 6 a.m., people in the area will bring nuggets and banh day to offer to the big mandarin Nhuoc Son, contributing to the festival.
At exactly 9am, the main ceremony was held by the magician reading a sacrifice with the content to remember the merits of Mr. Ha Chuong and the prayers for the people to be happy.
The sacrifice will take about 1 hour, until 10 am, the priest will finish the ritual, the department in charge of welcoming the guests will make rice to serve the guests and visitors who have come here to attend the festival.
On the 20th day of the 1st lunar month, a similar festival will be held, the only difference is that on this day, the buffalo will be slaughtered instead of the pig, the rest of the ceremony and the festival are the same as on September 20. .
Assembly part:
Lasts from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
At 10 am, after the sacrifice activities of the Nhuoc Son Temple Festival are completed, there will be a step and part of the festival with special activities such as: Xoe dancing festival, banquet festival, throwing game, group singing festival…
In which, the Xoe dance festival is the most unique, held right at the temple yard. The villagers will wear colorful clothes with wide skirts. The sorcerer will spread it first, then everyone will spread it along, each song usually has 6-7 people, wearing 10 music balls to both spread and sing songs to pray for a good harvest and a prosperous life.
The throwing festival is also welcomed and attended by many people
From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., it is the time when the singing festival, the throwing festival, and the birding festival are extremely exciting and jubilant.
Bird’s nest festival: people make bird’s nest with pandan leaves, skillfully braided from 4 leaves and tied 3 more chicken feathers. The beaters will pass the bird’s nest to each other, whoever drops the bird’s nest on the ground will be lightly punished.
Throwing Society: Throwing is also a very interesting game, with 2 teams, one male and one female. The two sides will compete to see who throws the first round will be awarded the prize. A tall tree is erected, above it is a ring only 20-25cm wide, glued with red paper, facing the river. The other fruit is made of cloth, inside the cotton seed package is square, the four corners are attached with red and green tassels. The magician will be the initiator so that the two sides together win the ball and throw it so that it hits the high ring.
Reciprocal singing festival: this is an activity that is very popular with couples, where they can exchange and ask each other questions, exchange flirting, promise in a gentle and loving way.
Currently, the Nhuoc Son Temple Festival, Thac Ba Mother Temple Festival, Dai Cai Temple Festival … have been recreated with many changes compared to the old customs of the past. However, the festival still carries with it the spirit and heart towards the origin of the nation as it has been for thousands of generations. Therefore, if you have the opportunity to visit Yen Bai in the 9th lunar month, do not miss the opportunity to participate in this unique cultural and spiritual space. MIA.vn wishes you to have experiences with many new things.
Source: Collected internet.