Traditional festival of Yên Thái village

- A long-standing heritage.

The Yên Thái village festival on the 11th day of the first lunar month is a festival commemorating the merits of Grand Marshal Lý Phục Man, a talented general of King Lý Nam Đế in the 6th century. During wartime, the festival was interrupted, but on the main festival day, the people still maintained the rituals. After peace was restored, the festival was revived and has continued to this day.

The main festival is held in even years (once every 5 years), lasting 3 days, from the 10th day of the first lunar month to the end of the 12th day of the first lunar month, including rituals, saint procession, Văn palanquin procession, traditional games, sports competitions, etc.

The customary festival: once a year on the 10th-11th days of the first lunar month, without palanquin processions or major rituals.

- All the people participate in the festival, including an indispensable important component: the Yên Thái village relic management subcommittee proposes and selects members to recommend the establishment of the annual festival organizing committee when the festival takes place; at the same time, village leaders, party members, and members of village mass organizations participate in activities at the festival.

- The festival is associated with General Lý Phục Man. Based on field survey documents at the relic and the accounts of local elders about his official career and deeds, it can be summarized as follows:

Grand Marshal Lý Phục Man was a military general who had the merit of leading troops to defeat the Man Ri invaders and the Northern colonial invaders, helping King Lý Nam Đế liberate the nation and establish the Vạn Xuân state in the 6th century.

In 544, the Liang army in the North invaded our country once again; in a decisive battle at the mouth of the Tô Lịch River, the Grand Marshal was seriously wounded, but he broke through the enemy's encirclement and managed to reach his homeland, Cổ Sở village, before dying by Hồ Mã. In remembrance of his merits, the people built a shrine to worship him.

In 1257, King Trần Thái Tôn ordered the expansion of the shrine area into Quán Giá and conferred on the spirit of the Grand Marshal the title 'Chứng An Quốc Công'; at the same time, the King issued an edict granting the people of Cổ Sở village and surrounding areas the status of 'Chứng An Hộ Xá', meaning the house of the Chứng An deity, and the villages built shrines to worship him.

Part of the Yên Thái villagers who had land by Hồ Mã donated that land to build Quán Giá and migrated to a new area to settle and make a living; they also built a communal house to worship the deity Chứng An Quốc Công (i.e., Grand Marshal Lý Phục Man), namely Yên Thái communal house.

          - The main ritual/skill is: the worship ceremony.

Male ritual team: about 15 people, including 12-13 main officiants. Men aged 49 and over

- There are customs, taboos, rituals, ceremonial practices, and prohibitions:

Before bringing offerings or performing rituals, hands must be washed with scented water.

People in mourning are not allowed into the Great Hall; they may only serve the festival outside in the courtyard.

Participants in the sacrifices: dutiful children from families with prestige in the village and not 'polluted' – not in mourning.

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 commendation gifts for study encouragement in preparation for awarding gifts on the 6th day of the second lunar month.

The ritual cleansing is performed about 1 week before the festival. The person who cleans the Saint's throne is the temple caretaker. The water used for cleansing today is rainwater. In the past, water was taken from the village pond. The village pond used to have clean water, flowing along the village to the front of the communal house.

In the past, there was a palanquin procession from the communal house to the temple and a tug-of-war. Today it no longer exists.

The water used for ritual cleansing today is rainwater. In the past, water was taken from the village pond. The village pond used to have clean water, flowing along the village to the front of the communal house.

- 5th day of the second lunar month: In the evening, an arts performance is organized by residential clusters.

- 6th day of the second lunar month: At 8 a.m., villagers offer incense at the communal house. The village holds rituals. If a year is too difficult, the rituals are skipped. Afterwards, the village awards study encouragement gifts to children who are excellent students, bachelors, masters, and doctors. Each person receives a certificate, a flower pinned to the chest, and 50,000 VND (the gift amount varies by year). From 2 p.m., folk games are organized, such as tug-of-war, wrestling, rice-cooking contest, and costume race.

- 7th day of the second lunar month: Folk games continue to be organized. In years when the village receives corporate sponsorship to invite a quan họ troupe to sing, quan họ singing will take place. At 3:30 p.m., the Organizing Committee gives the closing speech.

- Folk games: tug-of-war, wrestling, rice-cooking contest, costume race, clay pot smashing.

- Other activities: Mass artistic performances, Quan ho singing.

- Worship objects used in the festival: incense table, bát bửu (eight precious weapons), sacred flag, etc.

- Offerings: glutinous rice with chicken, fruits, betel and areca, votive paper.

- Attire: ceremonial dress, ao the, and turban.

- Musical instruments: drum, horn.