Ke Dam Communal House

Dam Communal House, also known as Ke Dam Communal House, is located in Mang Son Village, Doai Phuong Commune, Hanoi City, and is a traditional cultural and religious space of important significance to the local community.

According to local elders, Ke Dam Communal House dates back to ancient times and has been preserved and passed down by local people through many generations. Previously, the communal house stood in the area outside Dong Mo Lake. In 1971, during the construction and damming of the lake, the communal house was flooded. Local people moved it to its current location and continued to maintain worship and traditional religious activities.

Dam Communal House is a place of worship for Tan Vien Son Thanh, one of the “Four Immortals” of Vietnamese folk belief. According to folk tradition, Tan Vien Son Thanh once made a tour through this land and left deep marks on the spiritual life of the people. Therefore, the communal house is not only a place of worship but also a space where the community expresses reverence, remembrance, and gratitude toward the deity whom the people revere.

A notable feature associated with Dam Communal House is the Ke Dam Communal House Festival, held annually on the 4th day of the first lunar month and lasting one day. The festival is chaired by the communal house festival committee, with the participation of the Elderly Association, the incense-offering team, and a large number of people of Tan Phuc Village.

Preparation for the festival begins on the 3rd day of the first lunar month with activities such as erecting tents, decorating the communal house grounds, performing the announcement ritual, and carrying out the ritual cleansing of worship objects. On the morning of the 4th, the main offering ceremony takes place with three rounds of wine and the reading of a eulogy praising the merits of Tan Vien Son Thanh and praying for a peaceful new year with favorable weather. Next is the incense-offering ritual by the women’s team. In the afternoon, the thanksgiving ceremony and the ritual of closing the deity’s shrine conclude the festival season.

In particular, the Ke Dam Communal House Festival preserves traditional conventions and customs that the community practices seriously. The role of chief celebrant is highly valued; the person chosen must come from a well-ordered family, have prestige in the community, and be elected by the elders. The rituals, ceremonies, and rules of the festival are mainly transmitted orally and through hands-on instruction, creating continuity between generations.

The Dam Communal House space therefore not only has religious value but is also a place that preserves community memory and the cultural identity of the people of the Doai region. The rituals maintained over many generations help strengthen solidarity, neighborly ties, and cultural life at the grassroots level.

Ke Dam Communal House is a valuable cultural address of Mang Son Village, where the values of worship of Tan Vien Son Thanh, traditional festival, community memory, and cultural identity of the Doai region converge. Continuing to preserve the communal house space, maintain the festival, transmit traditional rituals, and document related cultural values will contribute to preserving heritage and promoting local cultural values in contemporary life.