Cau Ca Village Festival

Cau Ca Village Festival is one of the typical traditional festivals of the Northern Delta region, held annually on the 11th day of the first lunar month in Cau Ca Hamlet, Dong Anh Commune, Hanoi City. This is not only an important cultural and religious activity of the local community but also expresses reverence for King An Duong Vuong, the founding king of Au Lac in the 3rd century BC.

According to folk legends, Cau Ca Hamlet was formerly called Cau Ky, once one of eight military posts protecting the outer ring of Co Loa Citadel, guarded by General Ly Tam Vien. The special geographical location of Cau Ca lies beside the former Hoang Giang River, where a bridge named Thang Nam (Ngu Nguyet Bridge) crossed the river, believed to be the origin of the name Cau Ca today. In the hamlet, many ancient place names are still handed down, such as Cong Xu, Cua Lang, Ao Do (also called Bai Dai), Dau Chua, Doi Loc, Dong Chai, Lo Voi Quan Pond, To Chi, Ngu Nguyet Bridge, Vuon Ang, Vuon Lac... These place names help reflect the historical depth and distinctive cultural space of the land within the Co Loa relic complex.

For the people of the Co Loa area, the handed-down folk verse: “When dead, one may abandon children and grandchildren; when alive, one must not abandon the 6th day of the first lunar month” has affirmed the special place of the early-spring festival. The 6th day of the first lunar month is an occasion to commemorate King An Duong Vuong’s accession to the throne. On this day, the Bat Xa organizes a solemn ceremony at Co Loa Thuong Temple. The procession and the people of Cau Ca Hamlet, together with Mach Trang and Van Thuong villages, gather at Ba Cha Shrine (a place name no longer extant), then process into Co Loa Temple to perform the ceremony. In the traditional ritual, Cau Ca Village undertakes the “Phung Chuc” (carrying the congratulatory address) part – a role of solemn significance that demonstrates the village’s responsibility within the overall festival.

After the main festival at Co Loa ends, the villages of Bat Xa successively hold festivals at their own communal houses in the prescribed order, lasting until the 16th day of the first lunar month. Cau Ca Village Festival is held on the 11th day of the first lunar month. On the tenth day of the first lunar month, one day before the village festival, the villagers hold an offering called khao quan (feast for the troops). The offerings are placed in the middle of the communal house courtyard, including one whole boiled pig, one tray of glutinous rice and wine, and one bucket of water. After the khao te (feast invocation) text is read, ten strong middle-aged men wearing ao the and khan xep turbans stand on both sides, lift the pig and step backward while shouting “win big”; then those assigned to carry the pig, glutinous rice, and water carry everything and run inside, and the last person rolls up the mat and runs in after them, leaving nothing behind in the courtyard. Then the pig is divided and blessings are distributed for people to receive right at the communal house. In the past, the pig was assigned to the quan dam to be raised throughout the year. The standard had to be the I pig breed, pure black with no white hair. Today the purebred I pig has almost disappeared due to extensive crossbreeding, so near the festival the organizing committee buys pigs to serve the ritual.

The morning of the eleventh is the main festival. After the opening ceremony are the offering and procession rituals. At the communal house, the offering ceremony involves about 25 elderly men in solemn attire: one chief officiant reads the secret invocation, one reads the congratulatory address, two hold lamps, two strike gongs and drums, one west attendant, one east attendant... The offering team wears white trousers, blue ceremonial robes, chuon hats, and shoes; the incense-offering team wears white trousers and yellow robes. The palanquin bearers wear red, white, and yellow ceremonial guard clothing with yellow sashes tied around their heads.

At the same time, about 20 elderly women, in brown or light blue clothing, gather to perform rituals at Cau Ca Pagoda. According to village custom, during the main offering ceremony there are elderly men but no elderly women; in particular, women and young children are not allowed into the inner sanctuary.

While the elders perform the rituals, young men and women organize traditional folk games. The village festival includes traditional wrestling, air volleyball, and quan ho love duet singing; in the evening there is a cultural exchange.

Cau Ca Village Festival is not only a folk religious event but also a space for community cohesion, where generations of local people together preserve customs, practices, and traditional rituals. In the flow of modernity, the festival is still maintained with a solemn and respectful spirit, contributing to preserving the distinctive cultural values of the Loa Thanh land – the homeland of the ancient capital in the nation’s history