Bui Xa Village Communal House Festival, Bui Xa Hamlet, Xuan Mai Commune, Hanoi City.

Communal House
Bui Xa was built in the 19th century and is the place of worship of Tan Vien Son Thanh (Saint Tan
Vien Son), the foremost among the four saints in the legends of the Vietnamese people
(Tu Bat Tu) has been handed down in historical records. Bui Xa Communal House was recognized by the People's Committee of Ha Tay Province (now
merged into Hanoi City) as a provincial/city-level historical relic under
Decision No. 1516/QD-UBND dated October 23, 2005, and is a place for cultural activities,
and religious practices of the people of Bui Xa residential group and visitors from near and far within and outside
Xuan Mai Commune.

Tan Vien Son Thanh, also called Son Tinh, is a figure
in Vietnamese legend—the god who governs the Ba Vi mountain range (that is, Mount Tan
Vien). He is regarded as the first among the four immortal saints of the folk belief
of the Vietnamese people, called Tu Bat Tu (Tan Vien, Chu Dong Tu, Saint Giong,
Saint Mother Lieu Hanh). The legends and stories about Saint Tan, especially
the legend of Son Tinh – Thuy Tinh, have become more famous than ever in the minds
of modern Vietnamese people. These legends make him a cultural symbol
expressing the great and enduring capacities of the community in
creative labor producing endless wealth and in the fight against natural disasters
(floods) to protect their common life. Saint Tan Vien was a real person named Nguyen
Tuan, originally a brave, kind-hearted farmer endowed with heroic talents. Later he became
the mountain god, Son Tinh—leader of all creatures, who often taught the people to farm, hunt, pull nets, practice martial arts, and hold festivals. From then on, he became
a savior of the people with miraculous powers of transformation, accomplished in both letters and martial arts, and became
the god of Mount Tan Vien. In the contest of talents with Thuy Tinh, the evil god who rules
aquatic creatures and often raises waters to flood and destroy crops and animals, harming
innocent people, Son Tinh won and was given King Hung's daughter, Princess Ngoc Hoa, in marriage. Thuy
Tinh lost, harbored resentment, raised floodwaters, and drove aquatic monsters to attack. Son Tinh together with the gods
and people and land animals fought fiercely; the more the water rose, the more the mountain
rose higher. Son Tinh won the battle, a symbol of the spirit of victory over natural
disasters and floods of the nation, and the spirit of good triumphing over evil.

 * Taboos in the festival: chief celebrant: if
the family is in mourning for the four parents, one must wait until the mourning period ends before continuing to serve.  The person selected by the villagers to be Chief Celebrant must
have offerings of a tray of glutinous rice and a pig's head to present to the Saint. If resigning, one must also go and ask the Saint
for permission to step down. From the past until now, local leaders upon taking
office must also go to present themselves to the Saint. Offerings are usually simple and voluntary (an areca nut, a package
of cakes). If one no longer holds the position, one must also perform a ceremony to report to the Saint's house.

* Before the festival: The local government holds a joint meeting
including the Party Secretary, the Village Head, and the heads of departments
and mass organizations. After that, a festival steering committee is established and tasks are assigned to each
member of the steering committee. The meeting takes place at the village communal house or the cultural house
of the village.

* January 13 of the lunar calendar:

- Morning: The
elderly men in the village go to the communal house to perform the ceremony of cleaning the worship objects and assembling and washing the palanquins. The
elders wipe them with water three times, first with clean well water, then with ginger water
and then wipe again with alcohol. After that, the temple caretaker and some respected elders in the village dress the
village tutelary god. The elderly women go to sweep and clean the communal house.

- Afternoon:
the elderly men organize the yết offering ceremony at the communal house to report to the tutelary god that the following day
the festival will be held.

* January 14 of the lunar calendar: The festival is held in the morning.

Palanquin procession.
The procession starts from the village communal house. Before setting off, the palanquin team must make
the octagonal palanquin turn three times in front of the communal house gate. Leading the procession is a flower palanquin carrying a portrait
of Uncle Ho, followed by the procession of the eight precious objects, and then the octagonal palanquin. The octagonal palanquin carries
the ceremonial bành, together with fruit offerings. The procession consists of 16 people, going from the village communal house down
to the Bui River, traveling by boat along the Bui River to Ne Temple. Then they carry the palanquin from Ne Temple back
to the communal house. Everyone stays at the communal house to receive the blessings and attend the feast.

* Afternoon of January 14 of the lunar calendar: The elders perform the closing ceremony and end the festival.