In the morning, a worship ceremony and incense offering are held with 20 people: the ceremonial board includes the chief celebrant, Eastern chanter, and Western chanter; ritual assistants and assistant celebrants; the opening of the wine jar (opening wine); the wine receiver is the person who receives the wine and offers it to his shrine.
- Ritual implements: 2 wooden stands placed on both sides of the Eastern chanter and Western chanter, with parasols. On the eastern wooden stand are a lamp, incense bowl, flower vase, and a three-peak stand holding 3 wine cups, called the Eastern Vase table. The Eastern chanter stands here to chant the ritual. The signal drum is placed below the Eastern Vase table. On the western wooden stand are a lamp or candles, a flower vase, and a betel and areca tray, called the Western Fruit table. The Western chanter stands here. The signal gong is placed on the west, and the drum on the east. Two lamps or candles are used to guide the offering of incense and wine.
- Washing stand: a rack holding a water basin for the chief officiant, assistant officiants, and ritual assistants to wash their hands clean before entering the ritual.
- Ceremonial weapons (halberds, eight treasures): displayed on both sides of the Eastern and Western chanters for solemnity.
Oration board: a horizontal rectangular wooden board set upright at a slant, supported by a stand shaped like two standing mythical ly animals on both sides, with the board face turned backward. On the ritual day, the oration text is pasted on the oration board. There is also a cloth embroidered with a tiger tally covering the oration text; it is opened when reading, showing reverence for the deities. In addition, there are other items such as four new sedge mats used for the ceremony, laid in a vertical row in front of the communal house. The chief officiant and assistant officiants perform the ritual on them. They are replaced with new ones for each ritual for purity.
- Clothing of ritual officials: usually used for several years or replaced once every 10 years to look dignified. Chief officiant: a separate color, usually red, with belt and breastpiece. Assistant officiants: share one color for hats and robes, usually purple. Ritual assistants: share one color, usually blue. All wear phoc dau-style hats, wide-sleeved robes, white trousers, and boots. After use, these garments are boxed and kept at the relic site.
- Ritual mats: when the ritual begins, 4 mats are laid in a vertical row in front of the communal house: First mat: called the Welcoming Deities mat, used only for the deity-welcoming ceremony and reading of the oration; the chief officiant stands here to present offerings. Second mat: called the Receiving Blessings mat, where the chief officiant receives the blessings granted by the deity (receives wine and meat, eats a betel quid that has been offered). Third mat: called the Returning to Position mat or Chief Officiant mat, reserved for the chief officiant to return to the starting point. Fourth mat: called the Assistant Officiants mat, reserved for the assistant officiants to perform the ritual (these mats are used only once, so all are new and pure).
- Music used in the ritual ceremony: ritual music is used according to a fixed regulation, with the form and institution of Raising the Sound and Lowering the Music. Raising is when offering incense and presenting offerings. Lowering is returning to position when the work is completed. The types of music used have a ceremonial and worship character in rituals at temples and shrines and belong to the category of ritual music.
- Musical instruments: percussion includes drums, gongs, and senh tien (3 types). Senh tien used in the ritual ceremony (including the palanquin procession) marks the rhythm in the ceremony and dances following the chief officiant or ritual assistants when offering incense and wine. Wind instruments include the oboe and flute. The music includes the Luu Thuy tune used when offering wine, called Raising the Sound, and the Ngu Doi tune used when the wine offering is completed, called Lowering the Music.
- The ritual team is a group of about 20 people. Usually the deity ritual is performed by men (called the men's ritual team).
- The ritual team includes:
+ Chief officiant: also called manh bai, the person who stands and bows to the deity, the village tutelary god. In social rank, the chief officiant is of mandarin status; in spiritual rank, he is the eldest son in the house of the Saint. As for personal qualities, the chief officiant is the person most carefully selected by the villagers from the ritual board. He is usually an elder, healthy, of dignified appearance, with title and rank, and higher education in society is more valued; his family is complete, populous, with honored wife and prosperous children. Village criteria all rank him high, and his family is cultured.
+ Assistant officiants: 2-4 people, who stand in the row of mats below the chief officiant, assist the chief officiant, and follow the chief officiant in performing the ritual. Usually 2 assistant officiants are elected, at most 4, all in even numbers, standing on both sides.
+ Inner guides: 2 people assisting the chief officiant. One stands on the east, one on the west to lead the chief officiant out of and into the ritual mats during the ceremony and to assist in chanting when the chief officiant enters the inner mat (the deity-welcoming mat) and turns the oration.
+ Eastern chanter: 1 person, standing at the eastern table, level with the returning-to-position mat, whose duty is to chant the ritual and direct the ceremony according to the ritual in the prepared oration. The table has a parasol, and the Eastern chanter stands under it. On the table are arranged an incense lamp, wine jar for the ritual, wine stand, and trays holding wine cups, so the Eastern chanter's table is also called Eastern Vase.
+ Western chanter: This person stands at the table on the west side, symmetrical with the Eastern chanter's table, and also performs the chanting duty, assisting the Eastern chanter. The table has a canopy, and the Western chanter stands under the canopy. On the table are a lamp stand and a betel and areca plate, so it is also called the Western offering.
+ Ritual assistants: They are helpers at the two tables of the Eastern and Western chanters, divided to stand on both sides, three on each side, assisting with incense and wine offerings.
+ Signalmen: 2 people. Drum side: directs the ceremony with the big drum. Gong side: strikes the gong at the command of the big drum.
+ Invocation reader: 1 person fluent in characters, because they must read the original Han-Viet ritual text with intonation, with a clear, far-reaching voice that is moving and touching.
* The 11th day of the first lunar month
From early morning, the elders in the village go to the communal house dressed in ceremonial robes and hold a thanksgiving ceremony. The communal house is closed, ending the festival.
c. Current status of the intangible cultural heritage:
- Number of current artisans: 21
- Number of practitioners: 25
- Other resources participating in safeguarding: 55 people
- Number of ritual pieces:
- Skills/techniques/customs:
- Number of artisans still able to transmit and teach: 18
- Number of current trainees: 8
- Method of transmission: oral transmission, hands-on instruction
Through the festival, the aim is to remember the merits of the saints and deities and to preserve the good traditional values of the locality. At the same time, the festival is an occasion for gathering villagers and visitors from other places, as well as for people far from home to reunite with family and relatives, carrying the value of connection.
