Ninh Son Village Festival

The festival takes place from the 9th to the 11th day of the first lunar month.

- Venue of the festival

Ninh Son Village Communal House, Ninh Son Residential Group, Chuong My Ward

According to village legend, Ninh Son Village Communal House is more than 500 years old; the communal house worships Ly Ong Trong. According to the conventions of Ninh Son Village, the village communal house festival is held once every 3-5 years (Dai Dam), with offerings and palanquin processions, taking place from the morning of the 9th day of the first lunar month until the end of the afternoon of the 11th day of the first lunar month. In normal years when the Dai Dam is not held, it is called only village work, with only offerings and rituals, no processions, and takes place on many days of the year such as the 1st and the 15th. The 8th day of the 10th lunar month is the death anniversary of the village tutelary god.

The festival is held to commemorate the merits of Ly Ong Trong, a talented general sent by the Hung King as an envoy to China. At that time, the northern border of the Qin Dynasty was harassed by the Xiongnu. Qin Shi Huang built the Great Wall to stop them but still could not eliminate the disaster. The Qin king sent Ly Ong Trong to lead troops to guard the land of Lam Thao (now in Gansu Province, China). He won every battle he fought, terrifying the Xiongnu so much that they no longer dared to harass. The Qin king greatly rewarded him, granted him the title Marquis Van Tin, and gave him a princess in marriage, intending to keep him there. Because he was attached to his ancestral homeland, Ly Than asked to return home and did not go to China again. When the Xiongnu learned of this, they raised troops to harass again. Qin Shi Huang remembered Ly Than and sent people to summon him, but Ly Than did not go and fled into the deep forest. The Qin king sent a letter of reprimand; An Duong Vuong sent people to look for him but could not find him. The court of An Duong Vuong was worried and conspired to falsely say that Ly Than had died of cholera. Qin Shi Huang did not believe it and again sent envoys to demand an inspection. Ly Than was afraid and had to commit suicide. An Duong Vuong ordered mercury to be sprinkled on the body and then submitted it to the Qin king. Only then did the Qin king believe it was true. To deal with the Xiongnu, Qin Shi Huang ordered officials to open the treasury, take bronze, and cast a statue of Ly Than, placed at the Sima Gate in Xianyang. Legend says the statue was very large, could hold dozens of people in its belly, and had machinery that could make it move like a living person. The Xiongnu thought that the Ly family's Colonel of the Capital had again been sent to guard the frontier, and they withdrew in fear. Other books record: when Xiongnu envoys came, the Qin king had people enter the statue and make its face, hands, and feet move; the Xiongnu believed Ly Than was still alive and did not dare to bring troops to harass again. Ly Ong Trong is worshiped at Chem Communal House, Thuy Phuong Commune, Tu Liem District. The people of Ninh Son built a communal house to worship Ly Ong Trong to record the merit and remember a man of outstanding integrity and talent renowned abroad, bringing glory to the country.

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

* Afternoon of the 8th day of the first lunar month:

- Elderly men of the village go to the communal house to perform ceremonies to dust and clean the ritual objects and to assemble and wash the palanquins. The elders wipe them three times: first with clean well water, then with ginger water, and finally with alcohol. After that, the shrine keeper and some respected elders dress the Village Tutelary God. The elderly women sweep and clean the communal house. The registration ceremony is performed.