Dai Bi Village Festival

Dai Bi is a village in "Bat Xa Ho Nhi", also called the "Eight Communes of Loa Thanh", an ancient land marked by many legendary histories and traditions from the nation-building period of King An Duong Vuong. Adjacent to the Co Loa area, Dai Bi, like other villages in the "Eight Communes of Loa Thanh", worships the tutelary deity Thuc Phan An Duong Vuong. Based on the deity register and artifacts remaining in the relic, Dai Bi Communal House worships King An Duong Vuong and Princess My Chau as village tutelary deities. Through the feudal dynasties, King An Duong Vuong and Princess My Chau were both conferred the title of upper-rank deity and granted many honorific titles.

Because it is a village in the "Eight Communes of Loa Thanh", Dai Bi is closely connected to the Eight Communes' ritual at the Upper Temple - Co Loa. The maintenance of the Eight Communes' ritual by Dai Bi has long been recorded; the arrangement of the altars to An Duong Vuong and his daughter My Chau at Dai Bi Communal House is quite similar to that at Co Loa and other villages in the Eight Communes such as Mach Trang, Thu Cuu, Cau Ca...

To remember the merits and grace of King Thuc An Duong Vuong toward the country and homeland, every year on the 6th day of the first lunar month, the people of Dai Bi join the festival with other villages in the "Eight Communes of Loa Thanh" of the former Co Loa canton. According to the procedure of the Eight Communes' festival, Dai Bi village is arranged to carry the sixth palanquin in the Eight Communes' procession to the Upper Temple. Upon arrival, Dai Bi's palanquin is placed on the western side of the Upper Temple. Dai Bi, together with San Gia and Thu Cuu, is assigned the task of offering wine and incense during the ritual of worshipping the King. Dai Bi's ritual procession contributes to making the Co Loa festival more crowded and warm. The festival expresses the solidarity of the village community and attracts a large number of participants.

Other villages of the Eight Communes, after the 6th day of the first lunar month, continue to hold festivals at their communal houses according to the set chronological order, until the 16th day of the first lunar month. Dai Bi Village holds its festival on the 9th day of the first lunar month to commemorate King Thuc Phan An Duong Vuong - who had the merit of establishing the Au Lac state from the early period of nation building and defense of the nation. The way the Dai Bi festival is organized fully expresses the characteristic nature of village culture; the festival includes a procession (with the Eight Communes of Loa Thanh), rituals, ceremonies, and traditional folk games of the Northern Delta region.

The Dai Bi Village Festival is not merely an event organizing religious activities but also an occasion for the community to express solidarity, love, and honor traditional cultural values. The festival has become an indispensable part of the life of the people of Dai Bi Village and their pride in preserving the precious cultural values of their ancestors.