Bao Ha Temple worships the "God of national defense" in the border area

Important place in history

In the ancient, medieval and modern periods, the Red River was a vital traffic route connecting the Northern region - Vietnam with Yunnan - China, playing an important role in trade. Bao Ha holds an important position in the border defense system, being the gate to guard the Red River line in Northwest Vietnam, preventing attacks from the North to Thang Long.

Recognizing the importance of this waterway, the Tran Dynasty established two guard gates, Bao Thang and Bao Ha, along the Red River, and built Bao Ha gate into the direct rear of Bao Thang gate. , where the naval headquarters is located. Bao Ha has a fire signal station and a communication station to communicate the situation of Bao Thang mandarin gate to the districts below. Thanks to the fire signal station in Bao Thang, Quy Hoa town grasped the situation and attack plan of the Mongol Yuan army (1258 - 1285), informed the imperial army of a plan to prepare for the Le Hoa pass gate, and General Tran Ban. renovated radio stations in Bao Ha.

In the work " Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi " of the National History Institute of the Nguyen Dynasty, Thuy Vy continent is clearly recorded with information such as: "Cam Duong cave has gold mines, Trinh Lan cave and Son Yen cave have copper mines. Earthly products include cardamom. Ngoc Uyen Cave has zinc and silver mines. On the An River opposite Bac Sat point, there is Tuan Ty station in Nguyen Duong area, collecting salt tax, each year one thousand taels of silver. Customs, language and writing are similar to those of Van Ban province. The Nguyen family will forever serve as Tutor, the military name is called Ninh Nhat. After the chaos, the population was devastated and the land was abandoned. The old managers of Huong Son cave and Trinh Lan cave recruited the green-shirted Nung people to work as mining fields to pay taxes. The chiefs gathered the Nung and Man people to live together, but they were difficult to teach and easy to follow the enemy. The road from Van Ban Chau is very difficult. The waterway from Thao River goes uphill, underneath the river there are many jagged and bumpy rocks."

During the Canh Hung period (1740-1786), Northern invaders often harassed and robbed innocent people. Khau Ban commune, Van Ban district and many neighboring communes and communes had to build solid ramparts to fight the enemy. Bao Ha location is becoming increasingly important, with river and road arteries connecting the border with the capital Hung Hoa. Faced with the threat of invasion, General Nguyen Hoang Bay was assigned by the royal court to raise troops to quell riots in the border areas. His army advanced along the Red River to expel the enemy, liberated Chau Van Ban and consolidated Bao Ha into a large base. Here, the famous general organized the training of soldiers by the land lords and chiefs. After that, he led the naval and land troops to fight the enemy in Lao Cai, liberating the provinces of Quy Hoa district (present-day Yen Bai, Lao Cai).

Later, when the Northern enemy army led by the general Ta Tu Vang Pet invaded, the famous general Hoang Bay led his troops to fight. However, in an unequal battle, he heroically died. The enemy threw his body into the Red River, and the body floated to Bao Ha. People in the area, organized by Mr. Lu Van Cu, picked up the body to bury it and set up a shrine.

The temple "rules" the border region

According to legend and the words of some elders in the Bao Ha area, there was a strange thing when Mr. Hoang Bay was murdered by the enemy, the sky suddenly turned windy, the clouds danced, coalescing into the shape of a divine horse. A halo of light emitted from his body, he rode on the horse's body, reached the Cam Mountain area, the central area of ​​Bao Ha, then stopped. The sky suddenly cleared, five-colored clouds formed into the shape of four sacred creatures. Later, when he had an epiphany, he was given the authority to guard Lao Cai land and reside in Bao Ha temple.

To remember his merits, the Nguyen Dynasty kings such as Minh Menh and Thieu Tri bestowed on him the title "Tran An Vien List" and his temple was also titled "The National Guard". People of the Kinh, Tay, and Dao ethnic groups worship him as a human god. The vegetarian ceremony at Bao Ha temple is characterized by seven types of fruit, corresponding to the seasons of the year, creating a unique feature in the offerings to Mr. Hoang Bay. The number 7 of the seven fruits symbolizes the name of Mr. Hoang Bay, to honor the saint's merits. Salty feasts at palaces and banquets often include chicken, sticky rice, pig's head, porridge, and oan. In particular, offerings to Mr. Hoang Bay on his death anniversary must include three carefully selected animals: male buffalo, bull, and boar, to remember the merits of the soldiers who died. protect the realm.

Besides these offerings, the Bao Ha Temple festival also stands out with the custom of "giving horses" (offering horses) in worship rituals. The horse offering ceremony includes seven horses with seven different colors. Ong Temple Festival is special with a lavish procession, performed by young bronze men who have fasted three days before. On the main holiday, from the early morning of the 17th day of the 7th lunar month, the palanquin procession begins at Co Tan An temple (Tan An commune, Van Ban district, Lao Cai province, where Nguyen Hoang Ba Xa, daughter of famous general Nguyen Hoang, is worshiped). Seven). The team carrying the ceremonial palanquin from Co Tan An temple to Bao Ha temple is called Long Dinh palanquin, carried by eight women wearing national costumes. These people are carefully selected, fast for three consecutive days and their families must be harmonious and prosperous. The palanquins include Buddha palanquin, Mother Goddess palanquin, King Father palanquin, Ong Bay palanquin, Princess Thuong Ngan palanquin and offerings.

When his palanquin returned to the temple, the most sacred ceremony took place, starting with the reading of a testament summarizing his great contributions in helping people fight against enemies and build a prosperous and peaceful homeland. At the temple yard, the palanquin procession places three main altars outside the vigil ceremony. The celebrant recited a toast, and the orchestra played the gongs and drums each time, three times each. When reciting the rhythmic passages, the gongs and drums are played three times at a time. The ending tolls three nine-hour bells. After reading the wishes, the priest recites the wishes and the male altar team worships according to traditional rituals.

Next is the incense offering ceremony, expressing the descendants' respect for the heroic Saint. When the incense offering ceremony begins, the band plays three rounds of nine drums and gongs, then plays water music throughout the incense offering process. After the ceremony, the festival takes place vibrantly with contests and folk games such as stick pushing, tug of war, crossbow shooting, chess, buffalo fighting, and performances of various types of national arts.

Bao Ha Temple Traditional Festival was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2016. On March 21, 2022, Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 607/QD -The People's Committee recognized Bao Ha temple, Bao Vinh village, Bao Ha commune, Bao Yen district as a tourist destination. Bao Ha Temple has been expanded, restored, and decorated to be spacious, splendid, spacious, and majestic. This realizes the goal of building Bao Ha Temple to become a spiritual tourism center of the Northern region and the whole country.