Nhan Ly Village Communal House Festival

Nhan communal house
Ly is a relic ranked by the People's Committee of Ha
Tay in Decision No. 2713/QDUB dated December 31, 2003. History records
according to the book Than Pha by Dong Cac Dai Hoc Si Nguyen
Binh respectfully compiled in the second year of Hong Phuc (1573);,
and the supervisor of the Hundred Deities, Tri Dien Hung Linh Thieu Khanh, Nguyen Hien, currently
kept at the relic, says that the village communal house worships Quy Minh Dai Vuong. During the Hung
king era, 18th generation, the Than Pha book writes that there was a clan chief named Tuan Xuong, whose wife was Pham Thi
Huong, from a noble and virtuous family devoted to doing good and generous to every
person, so the local people loved and respected them. They gave birth to a son on
the 10th day of the first lunar month in the year of Giap Thin, with extraordinary appearance, intelligent and quick-
witted, growing up skilled in military strategy, accomplished in both civil and martial arts, and filial to his parents, so they named
their son Quy Minh. At that time, the country's foundation had passed to the 18th generation, 2622 years
under King Hung Due Vuong, when there was foreign invasion, King Hung called on talented and virtuous people to
fight the enemy and help the country. Quy Minh reported to the king asking to go fight the enemy. The king
agreed and conferred on him the title of Commander-in-Chief of the Great Army, commanding more than 30,000 soldiers to fight
the Thuc invaders. He and his soldiers fought in the East and suppressed the North, achieving many victories. When passing
through Nhan Ly village, it was dark, so he let the soldiers rest. Seeing that this place was an area with
beautiful mountains and water, he immediately set up a military camp, and together with soldiers and local people reclaimed
wasteland, establishing a prosperous countryside. In addition to rice cultivation, he also taught
the people various crafts and trades. That was an expression of culture during the nation-building period. Later
when he passed away, the villagers remembered his great merits and honored him as
the Village Tutelary God. Quy Minh Dai Vuong, tutelary god of Nhan Ly village, is a hero
against foreign invaders, and also a hero skilled in water control in this low-lying, watery
countryside. Every year, the 17th day of the first lunar
calendar is the village festival day to commemorate his merits to the country and the people,
including the people of Nhan Ly village today. Through the dynasties, the village communal house has had
royal edicts conferring the title of Thuong Dang Than. The edicts of the
communal house were issued by kings of various dynasties, starting from the Later Le period by King Canh Hung (Le Hien Tong)
in 1748. King Chieu Thong in 1786. King Tu Duc in 1852, 1882. King Dong
Khanh in 1886. King Duy Tan in 1908, and finally King Khai Dinh in 1924.
The above edicts are recognized as historical documents, rare and valuable over hundreds
of years along the historical flow of the country.

During the
the resistance war against the French, the communal house and pagoda were completely destroyed, including the village, and the people were dis-
persed. The village communal house was built as it is today thanks to the efforts of the elders, of
the villagers, of visitors from everywhere, and the help of authorities at all levels. To record
the merits of Quy Minh Dai Vuong, the national
hero who began the foundation of independence and self-governance of our country. Therefore, to this day the villagers
Nhan Ly still worship Quy Minh Dai
Vuong as the village's Tutelary God to remember His merits.

 * 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.

* The 15th day of the lunar January:

- 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.

* The 16th day of the lunar January:

Palanquin procession.
The procession starts from the village communal house. Before setting off, the palanquin team must make
the Long Dinh palanquin turns 3 times in front of the communal house gate. The procession leads
with the flower palanquin carrying Uncle Ho's portrait, followed by the procession of the eight treasures, then the Long Dinh palanquin, and the Bat Cong palanquin (Eight Palanquin). The Bat Cong palanquin
carries the palanquin board, along with offerings of flowers and fruit. The procession includes 16 people carrying the Bat Cong palanquin, 8 people carrying the Long Dinh palanquin, 8 people carrying the flower palanquin, going from the village communal house around the village to the God Shrine (worshipping Princess Hoa Cong and
Mandarin Pho Ma), and attend the ceremony at the God Shrine. After that, they go all the way around
around the village, pass by the Pagoda, and carry the palanquin back to the Communal House.