And from then she became pregnant; at the hour of the dragon on the 12th day of the second month in the Dinh Mao year she gave birth. That time she gave birth to five sons at once. All five were large in stature, handsome in face, and each had a red mark on the middle of his back extending to the anus. All five were extraordinary and had wondrous talents and intelligence. At the age of 15 they were all accomplished in both letters and martial arts and possessed the miraculous powers of saints and deities.
At that time, the Shu army sought to annex our country, and along with drought, successive crop failures, epidemics, and increasingly frequent theft and robbery. The king was deeply pained by the life of the people. King Hung Due Vuong issued a proclamation to select talented and worthy people to help the people and the country.
In accordance with the king's dream, all five brothers took the examination for worthiness and talent and were all highly employed by the king. Among them, the third, Dao Truong (the guardian deity of Kim Hoang village), was assigned by the king the duty of Nam Long Truong Lenh, acting chief of Trung Hoa, To Quoc Vi Tho Lenh Hau. He commanded fifty water deities with the title Thuy (that is, he was head of 50 water deities).
The five brothers helped the king drive out foreign invaders and guided the people to increase production. When the country was free of enemies and the people's lives became increasingly sufficient, all five brothers were ordered to return to heaven.
On the 10th day of the sixth month, while he was resting on the side of the Dragon boat, a rumbling sound like thunder rose from the bottom of the Tam Giang River. A well opened right where he sat. From that well water rose and filled the palace. He rode a carp, holding a jade tablet in his hand, and thus ascended/transformed.
When the king learned the news, he bestowed the beautiful title: 'Supreme blessed deity, forever receiving blood offerings, safeguarding the nation together, eternally constant.' At the Tam Giang temple he also issued a proclamation to 172 villages to worship him, and all received royal edicts as: 'Loyal Supreme Most Sacred Great King.' Thus Kim Hoang Communal House is a place of worship of the Water Deity and Earth Deity, in accordance with the ancient tradition of the Vietnamese people.
According to Mr. Tran Kieu's translation in the Ngoc Pha:
The traditional festival of Kim Hoang village is held annually from the morning of the 10th to the end of the 13th day of the second lunar month. 04 (four) days;
- 10th day of the 2nd month: + Morning ceremony 'Moc Duc'
+ Evening ceremony 'Nhap Tich'.
- 11th day of the 2nd month: + Morning ceremony 'Moc Duc'; and families with sons born during the year perform the 'Vao Lang' ceremony
+ Evening ceremony 'Nhap Tich'
- 12th day of the 2nd month + Noon worship ceremony 'Ky Phuc'
+ Evening 'Te Tho' (cheo singing before the communal house gate)
- 13th day of the 2nd month + Noon 'Te Gia' (the festival is over)
+ Evening 'Le Ta' (closing the communal house)
But since its restoration (in 1985), it has been held for only 03 days, from the 10th to the 12th day of the second lunar month.
- 10th day of the 2nd month + Morning ceremony 'Moc Duc'
+ Evening ceremony 'Nhap Tich'
- 11th day of the 2nd month + In the morning, the elderly women carry oan offerings from the pagoda to the communal house, after which the elderly women perform the 'Dang Huong' ceremony
+ Evening 'Te Tuc Yet'
- 12th day of the 2nd month + Noon 'Te Ky Phuc'
+ Afternoon 'Le Ta'
- Kim Hoang Communal House still preserves royal edicts.
- The main ritual/skill is: the worship ceremony.
- Male ritual team of 25 people plus the instructor = 26 people aged 55 and over.
- Female incense-offering team has 40 people (two generations: elderly and middle-aged) to be ready to replace when necessary.
- Palanquin procession team (Long Dinh) consists of 23 people (1 commander, 8 palanquin bearers, 6 sinh tien dancers, 8 bat am musicians).
The Kim Hoang village communal house has a Than Pha (ancient Ngoc Pha record) with legends. The communal house has 7 royal edicts (9 copies) currently kept at the village communal house:
+ Canh Hung year 44
+ Canh Thinh year 4
+ Minh Menh year 2
+ Thieu Tri year 2 (2 copies)
+ Tu Duc year 3
+ Tu Duc year 7
+ Khai Dinh year 9 (2 copies)
- There are customs, taboos, rituals, ceremonial practices, and prohibitions:
During the three days of the village festival, the entire organizing committee, the elders, and festival service personnel are not allowed to eat dog meat or garlic. The village has a regulation that during the three festival days, if someone dies, no funeral announcement may be held; it must wait until the festival ends, and those still in mourning for their father or mother are not allowed to enter the communal house. However, nowadays these regulations have been relaxed.
The chief celebrant, during his time as chief celebrant, is not allowed to attend funerals.
Currently, the transmission and practice of the heritage in the community are carried out as follows: Every year the traditional festival is held; the elderly frequently recount the origin of the deity worshipped at the relic so that descendants remember it; young and middle-aged generations are mobilized to join the festival organizing committee and to participate in practicing the ceremonial and festive parts, so as to grasp the rituals, customs, and folk games, and later continue to inherit and carry out the task of organizing the festival.
b. Description of the forms of expression, practice process, material and spiritual products created in the process of practicing the intangible cultural heritage, related cultural space, etc.:
- Preparation work:
From the full moon of the first lunar month, the village compiled a list of children to receive academic encouragement commendation gifts to prepare for presenting gifts on the 10th day of the second lunar month.
One day before the festival, the organizing committee, the elders, and the festival service personnel performed the task of cleaning the inner sanctuary, wiping the worship objects with fragrant water, sweeping around the communal house, and decorating with the national flag, spirit flags, and decorative flags.
- The 10th day of the second lunar month:
In the morning, the 'Moc Duc' ceremony is held; the organizing committee and the elders, together with the village dragon team, offer incense in memory of President Ho Chi Minh at Uncle Ho's memorial house and lay a wreath in memory of the commune's martyrs. From 2 p.m., folk games are organized, such as tug of war, pot smashing, sack races, etc.
In the evening, the 'Nhap Tich' ceremony is held; the village organizes academic encouragement gift presentation for children who achieve academic excellent results and pass university, then cultural and artistic exchange with the village's art team.
- The 11th day of the second lunar month:
At 7 a.m. at Kim Hoang village pagoda, the place where the Oan offerings placed in the Long Dinh are gathered for procession from the pagoda to the communal house; at 8 a.m. villagers offer incense at the communal house. The village holds the ritual ceremony. From 1 p.m., folk games continue to be organized. In years when the village receives corporate sponsorship to invite a quan ho troupe to sing, there will be quan ho singing.
In the evening, the 'Tuc Yet' ceremony and an art exchange program organized by the youth union of Kim Hoang village.
- The 12th day of the second lunar month:
The main ceremony of the traditional Kim Hoang village festival held annually is called the 'Ky Phuc' ceremony.
At the beginning of the ceremony, all the elders in the ritual board take positions around the outer courtyard (in the middle of the mat strips; the vertical mats are for the chief celebrant, and the horizontal mats are for directing the ceremony).
The chief celebrant wears a red hat, red robe, white trousers, and ceremonial boots, standing in the middle; on one side is the ritual singer, and the positions of East Chanter, West Chanter, East Inner, West Inner, Fire Keeper, assistant celebrants, gong, drum, etc., with solemn faces. After three rounds of bells and drums (positions are stabilized).
The East Outer officiant begins to chant: (slowly, following the ritual text tone)
Sentence 1: 'Begin the main drum!' Three rounds of bells and drums (officially entering the ceremony).
Sentence 2: The musicians take their places (the eight-tone ensemble begins the music).
Sentence 3: 'The assistants shall prepare their tasks.'
Sentence 4: 'Wash your hands!'
- Next, the East Inner officiant chants:
Sentence 5: 'The chief celebrant and the assistant celebrants, all ritual officials, wash your hands!'
Sentence 6: 'Wash your hands!' (the chief celebrant goes to the Cu Mich table to wash his hands)
Sentence 7: 'Dry your hands!' (the chief celebrant dries his hands)
Next, the East Outer officiant chants:
Item 8. - 'Inspect the offerings!' (The chief celebrant and the two ritual assistants go normally into the shrine to check the offerings, then come out; the chief celebrant stands beside the third mat, and the two ritual assistants go down to the Cu Mich table)
Item 9 - 'Assistant celebrants take their positions!' (Five assistant celebrants enter; two stand on the upper side and three stand on the lower side)
Item 10: - 'The chief celebrant takes the wine position!' (The chief celebrant steps onto the third mat)
Item 11: - 'Offer incense!'
- Next, Mr. East Inner intones:
Item 12: - 'Go to the incense-offering position!' (The chief celebrant steps back from the mat and stands beside it. The two men, the cantor and the assistant cantor, go down to the Cu Mich table to receive the incense stand, then turn back and advance; together with the two ritual assistants they go up and stop at the third mat, facing each other.
Item 13: - 'Go forward to the deities!' (All face the Holy House. The chief celebrant moves sideways to the left and stands behind the ritual assistants; following the bell and drum order and the music of the ensemble, he begins to walk to the first mat. The two ritual assistants stop, and the chief celebrant enters the mat.)
Item 14: - “Kneel” (the chief celebrant kneels)
Item 15. - 'Present incense!' (The cantor and the assistant cantor kneel to offer incense to the chief celebrant. The chief celebrant raises the incense stand on the right first, looks up before the seal, bows two or three times, then returns it; he receives the incense stand on the left and bows as before)
Item 16. - 'Advance the incense!' (The chief celebrant remains kneeling at the first mat while the cantor and assistant cantor, together with the two ritual assistants, follow the bell and drum order into the shrine to the outer altar; the assistant cantor stands waiting while the cantor inserts incense first, then continues inside to insert incense. Both leave the incense stands there and come back out to the first mat where the chief celebrant is kneeling, stop, and face each other)
Item 17. - 'Prostrate!' (The chief celebrant prostrates)
- Next, Mr. West Outer intones:
*'Rise!' (the chief celebrant stands up)
Item 18: - 'Return to standing position!' (The chief celebrant steps back from the mat and follows Mr. East Inner to
the third mat and continues onto the third mat, facing the Holy House)
Item 19. - 'Welcome the deities with a bow!' (The chief celebrant bows four times)
Item 20. - 'Perform the initial offering ceremony!'
- Next, Mr. East Inner intones:
Item 21. - 'Go to the place of honor!' (the chief celebrant steps back from the mat)
Item 22 - 'The honored one goes down to his place!' (The chief celebrant goes down to his position)
Item 23. - 'Pour wine' (pour wine)
Item 24: - 'The wine bearer presents the cup!' (here repeated, and the two ritual assistants lead up to the third mat)
Item 25: - 'Go forward to the deities!' (All face the Holy House and follow
the bell and drum order to the first mat, stop, and the chief celebrant enters the mat)
Item 26: - Kneel (the chief celebrant kneels)
Item 27: - 'Present the cup!' (The two wine attendants kneel to offer wine to the chief celebrant, right side first)
Item 28: - 'Advance the cup!' (The two wine attendants stand up together with the two ritual assistants and, following the bell and drum order, carry it into the shrine, then come back out to the first mat and stop)
Item 29: - 'Prostrate!' (the chief celebrant prostrates)
Item 30: - 'Return to standing position!' (The chief celebrant leaves the mat and goes back to the third mat to wait)
Next, Mr. East Outer comes down.
Item 31: - 'Read the ritual text!'
- Next, the East Inner officiant chants:
Item 32: - 'Go to the reading position!' (The two ritual assistants go first, followed by the cantor, the assistant cantor, and Mr. East Inner leading the chief celebrant up to the first mat; the chief celebrant enters the mat. The assistant cantor carries the ritual text tablet placed at the desk, steps backward, and at that time the cantor stands level with the chief celebrant)
Item 33 - 'Kneel!' (the chief celebrant kneels)
Item 34 - 'All kneel!' (The cantor, assistant cantor, and assistant celebrants all kneel)
Item 35. - 'Transfer the ritual text!' (The assistant cantor hands it to the chief celebrant with both hands. The chief celebrant bows three times, then hands it to the cantor; the cantor receives it and opens the text)
Item 36. - 'Read the ritual text!' (The cantor reads the ritual text; after reading, he hands it back to the chief celebrant, who passes it to the assistant cantor to put back in its old place; then all leave the mat except the chief celebrant, who stands waiting)
Item 37: - 'Prostrate!' (the chief celebrant prostrates)
Item 38 'Rise' (stand up)
Item 39: 'Bow!' (bow) 'Rise!'
Item 40: -'Bow' 'Rise!'
Item 41 - 'Return to standing position!' (leave the mat together with the ritual assistants..... go to the third mat)
- Next, the East Inner officiant chants:
Item 42. “Perform the second offering rite” (Same as wine round 1, since this is round 2)
- Next, the East officiant announces inside.
Item 43: “Approach the honored vessel!”
Item 44: “The honored-vessel bearer raises the ladle!”
Item 45. “Pour the wine!”
Item 46: “The cup-bearer presents the cup!”
Item 47: “Approach the honored deity’s place!”
Item 48: “Approach the honored deity’s place!”
Item 49: - “Display the cup!”
Item 50: - “Advance the cup!”
Item 51: - “Stand upright!”
- Next, the East officiant announces outside:
Item 52: “Perform the middle offering rite!”
- Next, the East officiant announces inside
Item 53: “Approach the honored place!” (Same as wine rounds 1 and 2)
Item 54: “The honored-vessel bearer raises the ladle!”
Item 55. “Pour the wine!”
Item 56: “The cup-bearer presents the cup!”
Item 57: “Approach the honored deity to advance the offering!”
Item 58: “Kneel!”
Item 59: “Offer the cup!”
Item 60. “Advance the cup!”
Item 61: “Prostrate!” “Rise!”
Item 62: “Stand upright and return to position!”
- Next, the East officiant announces outside:
Item 63: “Drink the blessed wine!”
- Next, the East officiant announces inside:
Item 64: “Approach the blessed-wine position!” (The chief celebrant and the East officiant say this, with the West inner officiant at mat 2)
Item 65: “Kneel!” (the chief celebrant kneels)
Item 66: “Drink the blessed wine!” (The chief celebrant receives the wine cup from the Từ elder and slowly drinks it down)
Item 67: “Prostrate!”.. “Rise!”
Item 68: “Bow!” “Rise!”
“Rise!” Item 69. “Bow!”.
Item 70: “Stand upright and return to position!” (stand up and walk to mat 3)
- Next, the East officiant announces outside:
Item 71: “Thank the honored deity with a bow!”
“Bow!” “Rise!” (4 times)
The chief celebrant and five assistant celebrants worship and bow
Item 72: “Stand upright and divide the prayer text!” (the literary officiant, the text-transferring officiant goes up to mat 1; after the text-transferring officiant bows, he takes the prayer text and hands it to the Hóa literary officiant)
Item 73: “The ritual is complete!” (all worship together; only the five assistant celebrants do not worship)
- Folk games: tug of war, pot beating, duck catching in water
- Other activities: Mass artistic performances, Quan ho singing.
- Worship objects used in the Festival: incense bowls, thrones, eight treasures, lamps, incense burners, cauldrons, reading desks, cranes …
- Processional objects in the Festival: octagonal palanquin, qilin, dragon
- Offerings: wine, glutinous rice, pork, chicken, incense, flowers, betel and areca, fruit
- Costumes: ceremonial costumes, ao the and khan xep
