Place:Trà CổVillage,
Móng Cái Town. Time:
Festivities in Trà Cổ
take place yearly from the 30th day of the
fifth lunar month until the sixth day of the sixth lunar month.
Significance:Nearly
600 years ago, Trà Cổpeople built a communal house dedicated to
the tutelary genies of the village. The festival is took place to
memorize the merit of the tutelary genies of the village and pray
good lucks for villagers. Trà
Cổ the site where
one first places the pen on the map to draw the S-shaped character
of Vietnam. The inhabitants of Trà Cổoriginate from
Đồ Sơn.
Quận He (Nguyễn
Hữu Cầu),
a leader of the peasants who rose up during the Lê - Trịnh period
is also worshipped here. Representative of village communal house
architecture of Vietnam, the building is still well preserved. On the 25th
day of the fifth lunar month, a procession of boats sails from Trà
Cổto the ancestors’ native land of Đồ Sơn. On the 30th
day of the fifth lunar month, the boats return to Trà Cổ. The
next day, festivities begin with the procession of the King to the
sea (also named the procession of the King to the shrine). It is
accompanied by an armed troop, an orchestra, a strong and handsome
young man chosen by the village population holding the flag and
people carrying palanquin. After the ritual
procession, there are agricultural contests, such as a
pig-breeding competition. The animals receive intensive care many
months in advance from their masters in hopes of getting the first
prize. There is also a cooking contest, with the best cooks
acquiring fame throughout the village. On
the sixth day, the festivities conclude with a flower dance. In
this ritual, the population pray to the genies to allow them to
catch many fish, have good luck in their trading activities and to
have a prosperous lives.
