Minh The festival has a history of nearly 500 years, taking place annually on January 13-15 in Hoa Lieu village, Kien Thuy commune. The festival has been recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage since 2017, famous for the ritual of swearing before the gods about integrity and anti-corruption, unique in Vietnam.
At the festival, delegates and tourists witnessed a unique and "one-of-a-kind" ritual. The host uses a knife to draw a large circle as a "pointing the sky and drawing the earth" movement in the middle of the oath platform. After that, officials and elders in the village perform incense offering ceremonies to pray to heaven and earth, the village tutelary god. Representatives of the mandarins read Minh The Proclamation.
The proclamation clearly states: "If taking public property for public work is supported by the gods. If you are unqualified, have greed, take public property for private property, I pray to the gods to beat you to death! Exactly as the oath...".
Finally, the head of the ceremony performs the ritual of cutting off the rooster's blood, mixing it into a wine jar, inviting everyone to drink votive wine together.
The festival takes place in a solemn atmosphere with the witness and participation of thousands of tourists and local people. This year, the festival lasts for 3 days from January 13 to 15 (March 1 to 3), organized in a solemn and safe scale, carefully prepared, keeping the soul of the sacred ritual. The festival part has many unique folk games...
Minh The Festival is not only a long-standing traditional cultural beauty of Kien Thuy commune but also a profound message about integrity and responsibility, contributing to building a healthy cultural life and strengthening people's beliefs.
