HAPPY FAMILY
The communal house in Ha Hiep village, Lien Hiep commune, Phuc Tho district, Hanoi city. The communal house is also known as Lien Hiep communal house or Ke Hiep communal house.
Ha Hiep village from ancient times had the Nom name of Ke Hiep, under the Le dynasty under General Ha Hiep, Dan Phuong district, Quoc Oai government, Son Tay town. In the 19th century (1899), under King Thanh Thai Nguyen Dynasty, this land belonged to Yen Son district, Son Tay province. After the August Revolution, Ha Hiep belonged to Lien Hiep commune, Quoc Oai district, Son Tay province. Since 1979, Ha Hiep belongs to Lien Hiep commune, Phuc Tho district, Ha Tay province. From 2008 up to now, it belongs to Hanoi city.
Ha Hiep is an ancient Vietnamese village on the right bank of the Day River. Before the Day dam, the Day river was called Hat Giang, a distributary of the right bank of the Red River at Hat Mon (Phuc Tho – Ha Tay) and also the second point of the Hac confluence. The section of Day river flowing through Phuc Tho district is 14.5km long. During the reign of Emperor Dinh Tien, the Day River was called Lach Dai Giang, and during the Le – Trinh dynasties it was called Sinh Quyet River. Because the Hat Giang junction is also a key point of the Red River flood, in the year of Canh Thin (1460), Le Thanh Tong built a dyke from Phung to Thuong Mo. Such a dyke system, on the one hand, has the effect of preventing floods and protecting the settlements inside, but on the contrary, it makes the land inside the dyke increasingly degraded and only the areas outside the dyke can be used. annual compensation.
Ha Hiep land is divided into two areas: plain land and flat land. The land is formed by alluvium from the Day River, accounting for 1/3 of the area, mainly growing sugar cane and crops. The field occupies 2/3 of the land, the slope is gradually from West to East, mainly used for rice cultivation. In the 20s of the 20th century, it was evaluated as grade A land, with a irrigation system that is very suitable for farming. cultivation. For generations, farmers in Ha Hiep still live mainly on agriculture. Only a few households know how to do carpentry, builders or do small businesses.
Regarding the spiritual life, before the August Revolution (1945), besides the fine customs and traditions, there were also some outdated customs in the village. Currency to buy thrones and sell positions are all in the Armor to avoid sessions and supplements. The head of Giap is called Tra Chief. Funerals and weddings are often celebrated with family meals. There is also child marriage, marriage challenge… These evils under the new regime have been gradually eliminated.
In addition to the communal house, Ha Hiep village also has a temple as a place of spiritual activities for people in the village and other villages and communes in the region. A stele dating back to Dai Tri (Tran Dynasty) currently kept in Ha Hiep village temple (Se pagoda) confirms that Buddhism was present here quite early. This stele is called “Three treasures of land”, the content of the stele records the worshiping of fields to the temple under the Tran dynasty. The beer was established on January 8, 1362.
Around the middle of the 19th century, Catholicism came here, organized evangelism, built a church, making the spiritual life of the people of Ha Hiep village even richer. Catholicism began in the spiritual life of Ha Hiep people in 1836. At that time, Ha Hiep had only 5 households following this religion and living together with the church of Ke Bac (Tu Liem, Hanoi). In 1842, Ha Hiep church was built, called the Joge church, making the activities of the parishioners here much more convenient. As a result, the number of parishioners is also increasing day by day. In 1985, the number of parishioners in Ha Hiep was 52 households, 257 people. According to statistics, as of July 1995, the number of parishioners in Lien Hiep commune was 664 people from 124 households (mainly concentrated in Ha Hiep), out of a total of 1431 households with 7431 people.
*. About the deity worshiped at the relic :
The communal house worships Hoang Dao, a famous general who participated in Hai Ba Trung’s uprising in the years 40-43 AD.
According to the bibliography, this is a famous general under Hai Ba Trung’s reign. At present, the communal house of Ha Hiep village still retains 27 ordinations of the kings who conferred the upper class god on Thanh Hoang Dao. The worship of generals involved in the Hai Ba Trung uprising is a common phenomenon for many monuments along the Day River.
Along with worshiping Thanh Hoang village, Ha Hiep village communal house also worships Dang Trung Hau (self-named Phuc Anh) – who has contributed to repairing the communal house. The altar of Dang Trung Hau was made on a mezzanine altar between two rows of columns on the outer porch, the left wing of the Great communal house.
– General Hoang Dao :
According to the legend told by the local elders, Father Hoang Dao was originally named Do. The couple, with the last name Do, were originally from Nghe An, moved to Ha Hiep to settle down, and burned incense at Se pagoda (also in Ha Hiep village). One day, his mother went to visit Sai Son mountain (Thai mountain, in ancient times also known as Phat Tich mountain), that night dreamed that a yellow cloud (Hoang Van) flew by. From then on she became pregnant and after nine months and ten days gave birth to him, named him Do Nang Dao. Remembering the golden cloud, the couple decided to name their son Zodiac (good time).
When Hai Ba Trung rebelled against the Han army, took revenge on the family, and paid for the country’s debt, Mr. Hoang Dao gathered militiamen in three hamlets of Ha Hiep, Hiep Loc and Yen Duc to join the uprising under the flags of two female generals. When Hai Ba Trung was defeated and had to commit suicide at the mouth of the Hat River, he withdrew his army back to his old hometown. Returning to the land of Hiep Loc village, he stopped and divided his gold among the militiamen of 3 villages who followed him in the uprising, of which Hiep Loc received 3 diamonds, Yen Duc 3 and Ha Hiep received 7. He died on March 12 on the land outside Day river bank in Ha Hiep village. In memory of him, all three villages built temples and worshiped him as the Citadel. The place where he divided gold on Hiep Loc land was also built a temple, called Quan Vang. The place where he died was built a shop, called Quan Hiep. Quan Hiep (also known as Ha Hiep Temple) is his main place of worship. Ha Hiep village communal house, just a place of worship, On the festival day, the villagers brought his tablet from Quan to the communal house to sacrifice. The people of Yen Duc and Hiep Loc villages called him Hoang Thong, the people of Ha Hiep village called him Hoang Dao. Due to abstaining from his name, the people of Hiep Loc and Yen Duc all used the word Thuong to call it a deviation from Thong; Ha Hiep villagers use the word Dieu to deviate from Dao.
– The Marquis of Dang Trung
This official surnamed Dang, self-proclaimed Phuc Anh, is a native. He worked as a mandarin around the end of the 18th century. When he was in office, he was named Tuan Phu Tam Tuyen (Tuyen Quang – Son Tay – Hung Hoa). When he was old, he retired to live in his hometown and made money to build an extra court in front of the Great Hall of Ha Hiep. The year the Court was built was 1856. At the same time, he also offered to the village a large field of land at the end of the village (that land has now become the commune’s martyrs cemetery).
In memory of his gratitude, the villagers honored him as the Hau God and worshiped incense in the communal house. His altar is located on the left side of the communal house.
*. About the landscape and architecture of the house :
At the communal house of Ha Hiep village, there are still a couple of parallel sentences that partially describe the landscape of the relic:
Ha Hiep life spirit word, singing Thuy Dong Kinh three sex trac;
Before Le passed on the victory, Sai Son Tay Hei Thach Ngan.
Translation:
The sacred temple is forever in Ha Hiep, the water of the Hat River flows to the east, wanting to wash [the band of hats] in the wave;
Triumphs passed down from the Early Le Dynasty, Sai mountain towering in the west, rocks as if speaking…
The communal house of Ha Hiep village was built to face the West and due to population growth, today the communal house is located in the middle of Ha Hiep village. According to local elders, in the past, the communal house was built on a beautiful, flat land at the top of the village. Behind the communal house is a part of Nhang Dang field and residential villages extending to the foot of the Day river dyke. If calculated according to the crow flies, the distance from the communal house of Ha Hiep village to the foot of the Day river dike is now only about 100 m.
In front of Tien Te is the communal house yard, followed by a semicircular well with a radius of 6m (this well was filled in 1960), past the well is Nghi Mon first. Outside Nghi Mon in the past was a small creek, flowing around from the right to the left of the communal house. Two small, arched bridges span the creek, straight with two side gates of Nghi Mon, creating the entrance to the communal house. Outside the creek is next to a high mound (Mount Dinh) but now this mound has also been leveled.
According to the elderly, in 1913, a great flood broke Phuong Do dike and flooded the whole area. That flood also changed the flow of the creek, so that over time, along with the explosion of population, that creek was filled, leaving only traces of lakes and ponds in the middle of the village road. A section of the lake in front of the communal house is now square embankment, as a place to gather water and gather blessings for the project. Also after that flood, the entrance to the communal house from the front was no longer in use, the villagers opened a gate on the left side of the communal house and now it has become the main entrance to the communal house…
It can be seen that the communal house of Ha Hiep village was built with its back to the Day River from the beginning. This seems to be contrary to the law of choosing land to build communal houses of many other Vietnamese communal houses (usually towards the water source, towards the flow…). But if we analyze it carefully, we will see that Ha Hiep people have also chosen for themselves a favorable land to build a communal house: the communal house is still facing a source of water, a small creek flows in front of them. If the communal house is built back to 1800, facing the Day River, the sentence in front of the communal house will be the right dyke of the Day River. That dike is too close to the communal house, creating a sense of mystery for the relic. The communal house was erected with its back turned, then the dike became a post-tram painting behind the house (on the geographical map, the dyke section running through Ha Hiep village is not straight but has the shape of an arc, circling in the direction of the Northwest – South East). The family mound in front becomes a criminal record.
Today, on the left, in front of the communal house is the village’s Catholic church, behind is the headquarters of the Commune People’s Committee. Behind the communal house is the village road, market and residential households.
In terms of architecture, Ha Hiep village communal house consists of many construction items, located on an area of about 5000 m2. In addition to the two front and rear gates, the lake, the yard… the current architecture of the communal house of Ha Hiep village includes 3 parts: the front altar – the great communal house – the harem, creating a main construction site with the most pre-letter and post-letter form. nail.
Tien Te : It has the most literal floor plan, including 3 compartments and 2 wings, the roof style is stacked with matches, two floors and eight roofs. Because the roof structure is superimposed. The first sentence on the left of the nave indicates that this work is dated to Tu Duc 9 [1856] and still retains the original design.
Great communal house : Consists of 3 compartments, 2 large wings, 6 rows of columns. Because the roof structure is like a gong rack. Because the armpits are corrugated. The link in the porch is to use the line. Based on the sculptures and decorations, it can be guessed that this work was started in the first half of the 17th century, major renovations took place in the second half of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. the original floor, has now been removed, the remaining traces are only holes in the column body.
The harem : Consists of 02 compartments, erected at right angles to the outer court, with two layers of roofs front and back, built in the style of the gable wall ( ) and built perpendicular to the Great Communal House at the position of the nave. The engravings at the armpit indicate that this work was built in the second half of the 17th century, and was remodeled in the 19th century. The harem still has the communal house floor.
The roof of the Tien Te court is covered with two types of tiles: lining tiles and small comedy nose tiles. The roof of Dai Dinh is roofed with two types: lining tiles and large comedy nose tiles. The pliers, knives, and buckets on the roof are made of terracotta and covered with mortar.
Covering: The Court of Sacrifice is left empty around. Covering in Dai Dinh used the form of brick wall construction, on top is a small town window. The harem was built with brick walls on both sides and behind in the style of a gabled wall.
Built in the 17th century, gradually adding components in the 19th and 20th centuries…, the development of Ha Hiep village communal house is also consistent with the general development of Vietnamese communal house.
*. Sculpture and decoration at Ha Hiep communal house
For the Vietnamese, the visual arts are not merely to decorate and beautify architecture or certain artifacts, but they are the crystallization of aesthetic values, the accretion and increasingly affirmation of their talents. flowers of the craftsman. For a very long time, patterns have been attached to everyday life before dealing with beauty, to become pieces of the human soul and carry on many historical and social problems of the nation. They always carry many aspects of the identity and imprint of contemporary art. They are true images, a message full of philosophy left by our ancestors for the future.
The tropical monsoon nature brings us many advantages in agriculture – forestry – fishery but also poses many challenges for us. The harshness of the climate due to high humidity, a lot of rain and storms along with social circumstances has a great impact on art. Initially, it was the change of feudal dynasties, accompanied by constant wars, which destroyed many valuable architectural and artistic works of our nation. . Up to now, there has not been a work that has preserved the beautiful sculptures intact from the day of its construction and Ha Hiep communal house is also in that fate. But still luckier than many other monuments because despite being damaged and lost, in general, Ha Hiep village still retains a large amount of sculptures, decorations, bearing the impression of modern times. time.
Decorative terracotta, lime mortar : These decorations are concentrated outside the architecture, on the roof system and at Nghi Mon. Themes are mainly mythical and conventional animals: dragons, unicorns, phoenixes, elephants, horses, seal patterns…
Wood sculpture : In the communal house of Ha Hiep village, the most unique sculptures are concentrated in the Dai communal house, on the coffered walls of the two middle naves and two gables; in the planks on the plaid and densely on the upper beams that surround the interior. The decorations here are represented by many different chisel-carving techniques: stroke, emboss, sculpt, and bong. The theme is extremely rich and diverse: dragons, birds, animals, people, all blend and intertwine, forming a lively combination… all showing the talent and ingenuity of the artist. craftsman and features contemporary imprints.
The human image appeared in prehistory and prehistory. By the time the country became a self-governing country, this topic was interested by Vietnamese people to have a worthy position, creating conditions to become a constant model of traditional art. In the communal house of Ha Hiep village, the human theme has occupied a special place in sculpture and decoration.
– The image of a person with mythological and conventional elements
+ The image of the angelic dancer: This theme is widely present in the architecture, including two different types: with wings and without wings. In general, this image seems to bring joy to the area itself, because the silhouette of that dancer is also the silhouette of a village woman.
At the communal house of Ha Hiep village, there are still 12 works of Angel Dancers (11 paintings are carved on the wind panels of the upper part of the wind and one is carved on the body on the left for the second harem). The dancers are all depicted with chubby faces looking straight ahead, with flapper hats on their heads. The body is flexible, slim and all adorned with the same type of dress: a round neck shirt, the neckline is decorated with round petals. The skirt is long, with three flaps in the front of the pointed wing. The hands are depicted as dancing in various dances.
Along with the above-mentioned works of angel dancers, there are many works depicting scenes of people riding dragons at the Dai Dinh windmills. Females ride on dragons, males ride on dragons’ heads. People stick their heads out, people catch the letters, people dance… All create a funny image, both conventional and expressive. With those images, dragons have lost their fierce and majestic appearance, but they are like animals very familiar in daily life (photos 82, 83, 84).
+ “Dragon’s jaw burial” is an idiom referring to the graves of the deceased who are buried in good soil. The ancients believed that when the graves of fathers, mothers and grandparents were placed in a good land, a peaceful grave, a beautiful grave (like a dragon’s mouth), they would bless and sustain the living.
At the Great Communal House of Ha Hiep village, there are still two carvings depicting the scene of the burial of the dragon’s jaw. The scene of the burial of the dragon’s jaws at the front porch to the left of the Great communal house depicts a naked farmer wearing a loincloth, his left hand holding a large dragon’s jaw, as if wanting to open the dragon’s mouth; right hand is trying to push a coffin deep into the dragon’s mouth. The second carving depicts decorative details at the rear of the temple, to the left of the hall on the side of the great communal house. A man is holding a coffin with both hands and stuffing it into the dragon’s mouth…
+ Riding a tiger: On the right side of the harem, there is a unique carving of a person riding a tiger. Although the carving is small, it partly describes the intention of the ancient engraver. Riding on the back of a tiger is a small, serious man with a wide mouth, large ears, on his head wearing a round cloth hat, without a brim. The man’s legs grip the tiger’s ribs like in a galloping pose, his right hand pointing straight ahead. The tiger is depicted with its front legs extended, the hind legs bent as if in a galloping position. The king of the jungle with muscular muscles, but his face did not appear fierce, but as if he had submitted to his master. Right in front of this carving is a statue of a first fairy wearing a crown, riding on a dragon’s body, swinging her arms and dancing.
– Image of people with scenes of folk activities
+ Wrestling: This scene we see quite a lot in the carvings of the 17th century communal house (Dai Phung – Dan Phuong, Hoang Xa – Ung Hoa…). The wrestlers are all described with the common characteristics: bare body, loincloth, fresh and uniform face in a specific movement with bold touches and channels. Parts of the body (head, torso, legs, arms) may seem disproportionate, but it is the free and generous movement that makes the touch array so pleasing to the eye.
There are still 02 paintings of wrestling scenes saved on the windboard in front of the left room of the Great Hall. Both carvings depict naked wrestlers, wearing loincloths, bald heads, round faces, muscular muscles, full of life. The first carving depicts the wrestling coming to a climax, two wrestlers embracing each other. Wrestler on the right with both feet firmly planted, his right hand holding the opponent’s right ankle in a donkey position to knock the opponent down. The person on the left is firmly holding the left leg, the right hand is raised to the level of the opponent’s head, the left hand is about to swing a decisive blow. Above the wrestlers was a dragon-riding fairy looking down. Behind them is also a dragon with a large head looking after them.
The second carving depicts the two wrestlers as they are about to enter the fight. Right feet step up touching each other. The right wrestler’s left hand is holding the left wrestler’s right wrist. The other two hands are in a ready-to-swallow position. Two bald heads close together. Both carvings are depicted realistically and very vividly.
+ Drinking alcohol: There is still 01 painting of drinking scene carved on a wooden board in front of the great hall. Two men in long dresses, round hats hugging their heads, were sitting opposite the high tray. The wine tray is placed on a small rectangular crate. Right leg to lie down, left leg to rest on chin level. The right hand lifts the wine cup, the left hand rests on the left knee. This contrasting scene is very similar to the one of the same theme at the communal house of Hoang Xa village ( Ung Hoa – dated 1694), not only in terms of artistic style but also in composition, as well as small details…
Like the subject of wrestling, the topic of drinking has appeared in many communal house sculptures: Hoang Xa communal house (Ung Hoa), Cao Thuong communal house (Bac Giang), Xom communal house (Vinh Phuc). The wine cups are placed on high platters and the drinkers are all mandarins, rich people and old people with contemporary costumes. These carvings also partly show us the relaxed and elegant features of the intellectual Confucianists.
+ Playing chess: Because in the left armpit behind the gable, there is a picture of two men sitting and playing chess. The chessboard is embossed, placed in the middle. Both players wear ao dai with very wide sleeves, a hat that covers their hands and nape as if they don’t care about life (a hat covers their ears), a big, fat face, showing regal regalness. The person sitting on the right, with his sleeve pulled up close to his armpit, is putting a finger on the piece about to make a new move. The person sitting on the left with his arms crossed across his chest as if he was raising a cup of tea to sip, his face brooding, thinking. If the chessboard is embossed, the two players can touch the bong full of art.
+ Riding a horse: There are 04 carvings depicting a horse rider: One on the body to the left of the harem; One is on the top of the kidney with the gable on the left in the scene Vinh Quy; One on the front body, the left nave and the most special one is the one above because the armpit is behind the left gable. The carving depicts two men galloping on horseback. Both knights have large, round faces, big noses, and neat clothes. The person on the left was holding a long spear in his hand. It is interesting that the two horses turn in two different directions. The two knights’ hands also pointed in two directions. Maybe the painting depicts two hunters, but they are not agreeing on the direction of the prey. This is a beautiful, well-composed, expressive painting.
+ The scene of holding a cock to fight: On the back wall, to the left of the Dai Dinh nave (inside) there is a picture depicting a scene of holding a cock to fight. Three men, each with a fighting cock in his hand, were lined up one by one to dig. Behind them was a group of people cheering and cheering. Above are two judges sitting in front of a low table, facing down. With the method of embossing combined with touch, the artist has partly described the festive atmosphere of the old village.
The scene of holding a cock to fight (or the scene of cockfighting) has also been shown quite a lot on the 17th century Vietnamese communal house sculptures: Cao Thuong communal house (Bac Giang), An Hoa communal house (Ha Nam), Hoang Xa communal house ( Ung Hoa district). ). In those carvings, there is a common feature that chickens are often depicted as larger than humans…
+ Young women bathing in lotus ponds: We also see this scene in many 17th century Vietnamese communal houses, such as Dong Vien communal house (Ba Vi), Dai Phung communal house (Dan Phuong), or on relics and relics. other objects such as De Tam temple (Nam Dinh), Sau Gia temple (Hoai Duc). In the communal house of Ha Hiep village, the carving with this theme is located on the right gable wind panel. The small carving, mixed with the forest of swords, is on the high side, you have to look closely to recognize it. Still naked village girls, long hair down, bathing in a lake. A woman plucked a large lotus leaf to cover the top, as if afraid of anyone looking at her.
+ Canh Vinh is depicted in the carving on the plank on the left gable ridge. In the lead was a horseman, with a ruffled hat. The handcart was holding the horse’s tail. People call speakers, people beat rice drums, people carry children, people dance in a highly stylized posture. Topless people, people wearing ao dai… All create a noisy and fun combination…
– The most special thing is probably the carving on the front, to the left of the nave in the middle of Dai Dinh. In the center of the painting is a horseman, wearing a wide-brimmed felt hat, boots on his feet, right hand pointing forward. Right in front of the horse was a man kneeling in a shooting position. Next is a person who is holding an upside down pig by the tail. At the end of the carving is a tiger lurking, prowling. Surrounded by scenes of people kneeling and sitting. There is an opinion that this is a carving depicting a hunting scene, the horseman is a mandarin, the pig is being brought out to lure. But one thing is curious, why the horse rider (boss) does not hold a gun to hunt. Another opinion is that the military landscape is looting, going to rob people’s pigs. But what does the tiger at the end of the carving mean? Anyway, this is also a unique carving, showing the daily life of contemporary society…
Then there are many other topics about human images: these are the Taoists sitting with their knees bent and contemplating (on the plank in front of the left compartment), the pig catcher (on the front body, on the left of the nave), the scene of planting buds, planting flowers (on the body of the person behind the left wing), the scene of village women sitting on the dragon’s head (on the right side aisle because of the armpit), the bridge kicking scene (on the bridge because the armpit in front of the right compartment). It can be said that the human image here is described in many different forms, with many different static and dynamic postures. The carvings are a form of non-verbal language. The 17th century artist has not only described the topics close to life but also expressed the inner self. All create vibrancy, creating a special artistic value of the ancient communal house. Moreover, it shows the talent and ingenuity of ancient carvers.
– Animal description topics:
+ Dragon theme in the art style of the 17th century:
It is also a dragon theme with common features: round eyes, big nose like a lion’s nose, protruding forehead, wide mouth, sharp horns like deer horns, animal ears, four claws like falcon’s claws… but each I have a look of my own. I have a smooth neck, I have layered scales; There is a braided beard, flying backwards; There is a beard that meanders into small, even flames; Having two front legs reaching out to stroke the beard looks very funny; Some children use their hind legs to lean on a strong pillar as if they want to reach out bravely. The dragons are carved with fat, meandering bodies, wide mouths, and round eyes. The entire dragon’s eyes and mane are like rolling blades flying backwards. The tail is gradually smaller and tapered. The tail feathers are rounded like a leaf.
In the heart of each gong rack, because the roof is carved, a large dragon is curled up. The dragon’s head in the center of the plate is facing the front, the beard and eyes are flying to both sides. The dragon’s body is coiled below. This layout has appeared since the 15th century on the forehead of Vinh Lang stele (Lam Son – Thanh Hoa, dated 1442). In the 16th century, we met this form on the wooden planks because the roof of Thuy Phieu village (Ba Vi – Ha Tay), Lo Hanh village, Tho Ha (Bac Giang).
Each tree on the porch in Ha Hiep village’s communal house is carved with an entire dragon, some are slippery, others have layered scales. The main head is a dragon’s head facing outwards with a dragon face, large nose, protruding eyes, wide open mouth, revealing two large fangs. Under the chin is a tuft of goatee.
At the communal house of Ha Hiep village, there are still 04 strong residual heads in the middle of the nave, carved with dragons in the art style of the middle of the 17th century. Each one has its own look. I have a smooth neck, I have layered scales; There is a braided beard, flying backwards; There is a beard that meanders into small, even flames; There is one with two front legs reaching out and clutching the beard, looking very majestic; Some children use their hind legs to lean on a strong pillar as if they want to reach out bravely. The residual head tail feeds through the body of the female column to form a wing at the position of the axillary beam. On the body of that wing is carved the shape of a fish’s tail, as if to refer to the legend (photos 76, 77, 78, 79).
The fish-tailed dragon is also depicted in the left armpit because of the left armpit, in the left armpit… The head is a dragon’s head with a flared mouth, thick tissue, cool round convexity, a sharp blade, but the tail is still a dragon. carp tail, round body, curled like still in a swimming position underwater. This dragon image is somewhat like the appearance of dragons wrapped in bags at the communal house of Vien Chau village (Ba Vi).
On the wall because of the front armpit, to the right of the nave, there are still 04 small beams, which are placed perpendicular to the dead ends; the head of the barnacle touches the head of the dragon as in the hand of a throne. The bearing capacity of these components is no longer present and it was probably originally a stand on which to place a small round statue to form a complete Dragon-riding Fairy layout…. Notably, the dragon’s head. Touched here, there is still a gentle and approachable character, with a slanted forehead, round eyes, especially the hair and eyes are still carefully trimmed and flowed to the back in a soft but not strong way. as strong as many swords with artistic style in the second half of the 17th century. The dragon and sword images here have many similarities with the dragons touching the period of Hoang Dinh or Vinh To, Duong Hoa… in communal houses. Xuan Son village (Son Tay), Tuong Phieu village communal house (Phuc Tho), or on the forehead of Mia pagoda stele (Son Tay, dated 1632),
The dragon theme is also shown densely in the upper wind panels surrounding the Dai Dinh. Each windboard is two dragons here are featured with a large head, facing the front, animal ears, wide chin, wide mouth, round eyes. Surrounding the two large dragons were small dragons, geckos and pointed blades, swirling clouds.
Not only that, in the communal house of Ha Hiep village, we also meet many dragon carvings with layers of fire leaves, then the form of bamboo turns into a dragon… The image of a dragon with a sword and a rolling cloud has combined into a symbol of praying for rain, water demand of agricultural inhabitants.
– Dragon with artistic style of the Nguyen Dynasty:
Dragons with Nguyen artistic style are found in many worshiping objects (incense incense, bowls, sacrifices…), on architectural structures in Tien Te (seventh head…). On the maze panels in the middle in front of the Temple of the Temple are embossed with dragons and clouds, interspersed with images of lotus flowers, book boxes, four quarters…
The dragon is carved with a rather large, prominent head, protruding forehead, bulging eyes, and fierce face. Mane, hair, soft eyes, shaped like a bun, fly backwards. The dragon’s body is meandering, the tail and tail feathers are twisted. Around the dragon are dark clouds, turtles, phoenixes, lotus flowers… The touches, tangles, they have many similarities with the carvings at Phuong Dinh communal house Tay Tuu, Co Nhue pagoda (both in Tu Liem, Hanoi) or like in the communal house of Cau Do village (Ha Dong). This product features the art style of the mid-19th century
In general, the dragon carvings with Nguyen art style in the communal house of Ha Hiep village are mainly concentrated in the Tien Te court. The dragons often do not stand alone but are described together with other themes: phoenix, turtle, lotus flower, cloud vein, leaf flip… Another common feature is that the dragons with the artistic style of this time are all well-known. created with a rather large head compared to the body, round eyes, sharp horns, wide mouth, fierce face…,
– Lan topic:
At the communal house of Ha Hiep village, there are still 02 paintings of adoration (one in the right armpit behind the right gable and one in the front porch on the right side). Each carving depicts a pair of unicorns sitting opposite, adoring a cluster of trees in the middle (perhaps the tree of Heaven, or the chrysanthemum chrysanthemum – symbolizing the sun…). Lan is described in a “familiar dog-style sitting position”, slender body, head raised as if leaning forward. Dots on the body, elbows are twisted veins, knives. All give Lan a full beauty, both lively and close. Along with the topics about people, dragons, unicorns, knives… The topics about familiar animals are also paid attention to describe creating specific expressive values for the monument.
– Buffalo: On the back porch, the room to the left of the Great Communal House is a carving depicting a buffalo scene. Two stout buffaloes are bowing, shaking their heads, fighting fiercely and fiercely. The old artist cleverly arranged the back of the buffalo on the right to arch up to support the roof. The carving is both tight and strong and creates a unique artistic value.
– Elephant: At the back column, the left compartment of the Great Hall is a round statue showing the scene of a person riding an elephant. The elephant is realistically depicted with long, curved tusks, large trunks bending forward. Riding on the elephant’s neck was a small but majestic mahout holding a spear raised high.
Then the carvings of horses with people riding on them, scenes of tigers, pigs… The carvings are both realistic and expressive… rich in folk and vivid qualities.
Tiger: There are 02 tigers carved in the communal house of Ha Hiep village. The first one lies on the man’s left side of the harem, with a rider on it; The second child lies on the front left, the middle of the Great Hall. This second tiger is touched at the end of the line, armor column, is in the position of peeking, prowling. The tiger with strong muscles is lying flat on the ground, its front legs are bent in front of its chest as if it is prostrating, and it is ready to rush.
Along with the above topics, the theme associated with nature is also noted on the architecture of the communal house in Ha Hiep village. However, they are not carved independently, but often combined with other carvings to form an overall composition. Themes associated with natural symbols (blades, spirals) are often mixed with dragons and unicorns. The knives and spears everywhere have the common feature of a fat body, pointed head, and a fiery, full of vitality. The blades and stripes seem to represent clouds and lightning, and they gather with the dragon as a symbol of praying for rain and water in the lives of agricultural residents.
Floral themes are often carved on worshiping objects, but they are rare in the architecture of Ha Hiep village communal house. There are only lotus leaves in the painting of a young woman bathing in a lotus pond, or a sunflower daisy touching the top because of the roof of the right space (closer to the pillar body). If the chrysanthemum represents the sun and yang, the lotus flower represents yin, the moon, and water.
It can be said that the decorative themes in the communal house of Ha Hiep village are both rich in content and form of expression, and also rich in art cards. There are paintings that are carved and decorated; There are embossed pictures. There is a depiction of reliefs, a description of a round statue… And luckily, over the centuries, these works of art have been preserved relatively intact…. All create a special artistic value for the monument.
Based on the art style, especially based on the decorative motifs carved in the Great Hall, it can be seen that most of them are in the mid-17th century artistic style.
On the other hand, when studying the relics in Ha Hiep communal house, the most notable is the 27 ordinations of the generations that conferred the only godly god (Mr. Hoang Dao) was worshiped here. The relic still preserves 11 Dao Sac dating back to the 17th century, the earliest one dating from Duc Long 7 [1635], under King Le Than Tong. In addition, there are religions dating: Duong Hoa 5 [1639], Duong Hoa 8 [1642], Phuc Thai 3 [1645] Phuc Thai 5 [1647], Phuc Thai 7 (1649), Khanh Duc 4 [1652 ]… Thus, by the middle of the 17th century, this was a very famous worship, interested by the court and at least the relic must have been born before 1635, which is the year with the earliest religion.
*. About Ha Hiep communal house festival :
Regarding the worship of Thanh Hoang, every year, Ha Hiep villagers hold a festival on the 12th day of the 3rd lunar month. The festival usually consists of two parts: the ceremony part and the festival part. The solemn ceremony is the ritual to remember the guardian deity for the village, is a prayer with the purpose of praying for good health, prosperity, and a bountiful harvest.
Besides the ceremony, there are festivals: singing a Dao, rowing on the communal yard, dancing with wooden cranes, unicorns, cymbal, games, swinging, wrestling, going pontoon bridge, catching ducks, etc. The festival is an opportunity for farmers to have fun, make up for the hard and tiring days and also to prepare for a new business season.
The festival is a cultural activity of the inhabitants of Vietnamese villages. The ceremony is respectful, dignified, is the remembrance of those who have made meritorious services to the people and the country, is the prayer for good things, favorable rain, harmonious wind, and a happy life. In contrast to festivals, festivals are a form of community cultural activities, are folk fun, help farmers turn off all year round, the dark side can have a moment of fun entertainment before starting a working year. new. The festival is about solidarity and community cohesion. During the festival, everyone has fun and forgets the worries of everyday life. And, people suddenly understand the profound meaning of the festival, that: the festival is a homogeneity in the interweaving, which means that in the festival there is a festival and the festival is the culmination of the ceremony. It mentioned at least 4 human behaviors at the same time:
– Behavior between humans and gods, one of which is an offering.
– Conduct between people and the community, with the center being the village community.
– Behavior between people with clans and families.
– Deal with yourself
Thus, from the communal house of Ha Hiep village, it can be seen that the festival not only solves the entertainment for the hard-working farmers all year round, but is mainly a purification of the soul so that people can live better, more beautiful and healthy lives. more confident in the future, as well as to rebalance awareness and responsibilities in a spiritual yet relaxed atmosphere. That is why the festival is the culmination of community cultural activities, full of tradition and imbued with national cultural identity…
Ha Hiep communal house was ranked at the national level in Decision No. 1728VH/QD dated October 2, 1991. In 2017, the relic has been and is being made. Dossier to submit to the Prime Minister for consideration and ranking of a special national monument.
Source: Collected internet.