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As spring comes, people in Phu Nghia commune in particular and Lac Thuy district in general flock to Tien Pagoda festival to enjoy festive activities during the annual event.
The ritual of palanquin processing from
Trung Temple to Tien Pagoda for the opening of the festival in 2024.
Tien Pagoda festival takes place in the Phu Nghia relic complex in Phu Nghia
commune. This year, the festival was organised at the provincial level,
attracting a large number of visitors.
Vu Huyen Chi, a visitor from Hanoi, said that she took her family to the pagoda
on the fourth day of the first lunar month to enjoy the beautiful landscape of
the site, adding she will visit the site again to further explore the massive
relic area.
Giang My, who was born in Lac Thuy and resides in Hai Phong, also chose Tien
Pagoda festival for her family’s spring trip to pray for a new year of good
health and smooth work, and enjoy the festive atmosphere with various folk
games at the festival. Her family also had a chance to enjoy "Chau van” (trance
ritual singing) and a trade fair.
This year, the opening ceremony of the Tien Pagoda festival took place in three
days from February 12-14, or the third to the fifth day of the first lunar
month, with diverse cultural and sports activities, along with a special art
programme featuring folk art, instrumental music, Muong gong art, Chau van, and
the demonstration of Tam Phu Mother Goddess ritual. The festival lasts for
three months until the end of the third lunar month.
The festival, the largest of its kind in Lac Thuy, carries strong identity of
the Muong traditional culture. The palanquin processing of the festival starts
from three venues of Trinh temple, Mau (Mother Goddess) temple and Trung
temple.
Visitors can also take a journey through the Dong Tien – Chua Tien – Mau Dam Da
relic complex where Au Co Mother Goddess, Tan Vien Mountain Gods, and Tu vi
Thanh nuong (four Holy Mothers) are worshipped.
The Chua Tien landscape and relic complex has 20 relics, including historical,
cultural, archeological ones and landscapes spanning Lao Noi and Lao Ngoai
communes. Particularly, Tien cave landscape site, a famous archaeological site
in the complex, was recognised as a national relic site in 1989.
Currently, the construction of a cable car system in the valley of the Huong
Pagoda-Tien Pagoda-Tam Chuc Pagoda spiritual triangle is underway.
Nguyen Van Hai, Chairman of the Lac Thuy People’s Committee, said that along
with spreading the traditional cultural values of the local community, the
festival is also a chance for the district to promote its tourism to domestic
and foreign visitors, contributing to promoting the local socio-economic
development.
Phong Phu commune, Tan Lac district of Hoa Binh province, is widely regarded as the cultural heartland of the Muong ethnic group. Among its many traditional communities, Luy Ai hamlet (formerly Ai hamlet) stands out as a rare location where the customs and way of life of the Muong Bi people remain largely intact.
The Truong Kha temple festival, a distinctive cultural event held every three years in Vu Ban township, Lac Son district, returned recently with vibrant rituals and folk traditions of the Muong people. Located next to the Buoi River in the Muong Trao fields, the Truong Kha Temple is dedicated to the three Kun Dol deities, revered for teaching farming techniques, irrigation, weaving, and protecting the harvest.
The demand for spaces serving community activities of residents in various areas across Hoa Binh city has been satisfied as local cultural houses now feature modern, spacious facilities thanks to the effective implementation of Resolution No. 49/NQ-HDND issued on December 28, 2021 by the city People's Council, which approved the plan for reorganising, converting, and allocating land for the construction, repair, and expansion of cultural houses in Hoa Binh’s villages and residential areas until 2025.
At the end of May, the Hoa Binh Provincial Ethnic Arts Troupe organized a series of performances for residents in Region 2 and Region 3 communes across the province. Bringing art to ethnic communities in remote, isolated, and especially disadvantaged areas has become a meaningful activity. These are not merely artistic performances but also journeys to disseminate cultural values, enrich spiritual life, and contribute to preserving the cultural identity of ethnic minorities.
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