Traditional festival of Phuong Vien village

a. The process of the intangible cultural heritage's origin and existence:

The festival has existed since ancient times. According to Han-Nom documents currently kept at the relic site, and according to the festival text, it dates from around 1609 - the Later Le period (the 28th year of Canh Hung).

The festival is held by the village to commemorate General Thoi Toc Dai Vuong, a general from the An Duong Vuong era (worshipped at the village communal house), and three female generals from the Trung Sisters era: Ba A La Nang De, Ba A Tu, and Ba A Huyen (worshipped at the shrine within the Vang market grounds).

Regarding the legend of Thoi Toc Dai Vuong, the village elders say: he is a historical figure from ancient times, worshipped by the villagers according to the belief that he was a person who rendered service to the people and the country. This deity appeared at the end of the Hung Vuong period in the second century BC. He was a person who fought the enemy to save the country, and after his death he was honored and worshipped by the people of Phuong Vien.

Legend of Ba A La Nang De: she was the daughter of Mr. Nguyen Vien from Hoang Hoa, Chau Ai, who married Mrs. Tran Thi Lam from Nghia Lo (Hoai Duc). Mr. Vien lived in his wife's homeland and had two children: A La Nang De and Chang Quoc. At the age of 20, A La Nang De and 19-year-old Chang Quoc joined the insurgent army of the Trung Sisters. The two siblings recruited 500 people to follow the Trung Sisters and fight the Southern Han invaders. Later, the Han dynasty sent Ma Yuan to invade our country; the two siblings again led troops into battle and died at the Cong Khe battle in old Ha Tay. Many villages worship A La Nang De, including Phuong Vien village.

In addition, the people of Phuong Vien village also worship Ba A Tu and Ba A Huyen, two female generals from the Trung Sisters era.

There are legends and divine titles related to the worshipped figures; records show 35 times of conferment, the earliest under King Le Hoang Dinh at the beginning of the 17th century, and the latest under King Khai Dinh (1925).

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.:

The festival takes place annually from the 12th to the 14th day of the second lunar month. Main festival: held once every five years.

During the main festival, before 1953 the procession included: the Great Palanquin, the Long Dinh palanquin, and the incense table; folk games included: human chess, wrestling, and cheo singing.

From 1988, after the village communal house was rebuilt, the festival was restored; the procession includes: the Great Palanquin, the Phuong palanquin, the Long Dinh palanquin, and the incense table. Folk games: human chess, wrestling, cheo singing; today there are also some other cultural and sports activities such as badminton and quan ho singing.

Procession route: + Previously, during the main festival, the palanquin was carried from the communal house to the market shrine for a ceremony, then down to the Oc shrine and up to the Upper Pagoda (Thich Ca Pagoda) to bring the ritual text back to the communal house.

+ In recent years: the procession route goes from the communal house to the market shrine for a ceremony, then down to Ha hamlet (the expressway) and back to the communal house.

During the regular festival: the procession includes: the Long Dinh palanquin and the incense table. Folk games: co boi (flag chess), wrestling, cheo singing; today there are also some other cultural and sports activities such as badminton and quan ho singing.

Procession route: Only the palanquin is carried from the communal house to the shrine; after the ceremony at the shrine, it returns to the communal house.

The festival was held continuously for many years; in 1946 the French burned down the village communal house and the festival was interrupted; in 1952 the communal house was rebuilt, the festival was restored, and it was held from the 12th to the 14th day of the second lunar month annually. In 1955, due to reform, the festival was not held from that year; in 1976, because the river was liberated, the communal house had to be dismantled; in 1988 the village communal house was rebuilt and the festival was restored, and since then it has been held annually.

Organization of the festival: a festival organizing committee is established, along with a ritual board (including elderly villagers capable of performing ritual ceremonies well; this board usually has about 30 people), a logistics board (members are men aged 50 serving at the saint's house and women aged 49 serving at the saint's house), a chief officiant (an elderly man of the village: from a well-ordered family, complying well with the guidelines of the Party and the State and local regulations, with both spouse and children alive), the person in charge of the ritual part (the head of the village's relic subcommittee), and the person in charge of the festival part.

Those participating in implementing the festival contents include: representatives of local authorities, cultural officials, officials from various sectors who are villagers, secretaries of party cells, village heads, heads of associations, mass organizations in the village, Phuong Vien Agricultural Cooperative, the chief officiant, the ritual board, the relic subcommittee, and age groups summoned by the chief officiant to serve at the communal house.

The following subcommittees are established during the festival:

- Ritual Subcommittee includes the chief officiant as head and the officials, drum team, ritual music team, and incense-offering team assisting in the rituals. The chief officiant and officials must have both husband and wife alive, well-behaved children, and no mourning in the family.

- Do Subcommittee: headed by a prestigious elderly person in the village; responsible for summoning young men and women of age groups to serve the festival, the procession, and assist in rituals. The criteria for participating in the Do board are that young men and women must be unmarried, well-behaved, and polite.

- Finance Subcommittee: usually assigned to the Cooperative Director, accountants of teams, village heads and deputy heads, and men aged 50 serving at the saint's house; the Finance Subcommittee is stationed at Phuong Vien Communal House to summarize and collect contributions from people (local residents and pilgrims making offerings during the festival from the 1st day of the second lunar month).

- Reception Subcommittee: includes women's association branches of the villages and the group of women aged 49; responsible for serving water and cleaning before, during, and after the festival.

- Culture and Information Subcommittee: responsible for decoration and information propagation serving the festival.

- Security Subcommittee: responsible for protecting security and order before, during, and after the festival.

- Wrestling Subcommittee: headed by a man knowledgeable about wrestling and enthusiastic; responsible for organizing the traditional wrestling tournament during the three festival days.

- Arts and Music Subcommittee: undertaken by the village arts club; responsible for organizing singing and dance performances during the three festival days.

- Chess Subcommittee: headed by a good chess player in the village; responsible for organizing the human chess tournament during the main festival days and flag chess during regular festivals; during the main festival, selecting young men and women of the village to serve as chess pieces for the festival. The criteria for chess pieces are young men and women who are unmarried, look healthy and presentable, and are well-behaved and polite.

People whose families are in mourning are not allowed to attend the festival.

Women are not allowed inside the inner communal house; they may only stand in the courtyard and bow toward the communal house. Women participating in serving the festival may only serve outside the communal house and may not enter the inner communal house. (This is a customary prohibition.)

In addition, there is a festival day on the 12th day of the 11th lunar month (called the month-l festival) and seasonal festivals (spring and autumn, four seasons, new rice ceremony, new sticky rice ceremony, etc.).

Regarding the sequence of the ritual part:

- On the afternoon of the 11th day of the second lunar month, preparations are made; the chief officiant and officials perform the muc duc ceremony (changing the ritual costumes of the saint's house).

- At 07:00 on the morning of the 12th day of the second lunar month, the doi ma ceremony is performed (replacing the new votive objects and burning the old ones). At 08:00, the nhap tich ceremony is performed (inviting the deities to the communal house).

- Afternoon of the 12th day of the second lunar month: at 02:00, the ceremony to carry the Saint from the communal house to Vang market shrine is held; after the ceremony at Vang market shrine, three votive wrestling matches are held in front of the shrine, then the Saint is carried along the route prescribed for the main festival or regular festival; at 05:00 the Saint is carried back to the communal house for the Yen vi ceremony.

- At 08:00 on the morning of the 13th day of the second lunar month, representatives of the sectors serving the festival, led by the unicorn dance team and the ritual music band with resounding gongs and drums, go to welcome Quan Anh Ha Hoa, a sworn brother from ancient times when the people of Phuong Vien village helped the people of Ha Hoa fight floods and repair dikes and then became sworn brothers. After welcoming him to the village communal house, a ceremony of friendship is held with Quan Anh, and the people of Quan Anh are invited to stay and share the offerings with the people of Phuong Vien village. (The friendship ceremony is the ritual performed jointly by officials of the two villages to pray that the friendship between the people of Phuong Vien and Ha Hoa becomes increasingly close and united.)

- At 02:00 in the afternoon of the 13th day of the second lunar month, Quan Anh performs the farewell ceremony; the delegation of representatives of the sectors serving the festival, led by the unicorn dance team, gongs and drums, and the ritual music band, escorts Quan Anh to the village entrance (the expressway).

- On the morning of the 14th day of the 2nd lunar month at 7:00 a.m., the ceremony for the elderly is held; everyone in the village aged 50 and above may participate in making offerings for the elderly and receiving blessed offerings at the Holy House.

- In the afternoon at 2:00 p.m. on the 14th day of the 2nd lunar month, the festival closing ceremony is held and prizes for the games are awarded; afterward, at 7:00 p.m., gongs and drums sound for the ceremony to see off the deities, horns are blown, and the festival ends.