According to Decision No. 23/QD-BVHTTDL, the Mai Bang Temple Festival (Cua Lo ward) has been recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.
This heritage is associated with the belief in worshiping Chieu Trung Dai Vuong Le Khoi, a famous general of the early Le dynasty, who made many contributions to the Lam Son uprising with King Le Loi to defeat the Minh army, and at the same time helped people reclaim land, establish villages, and stabilize life.
After he passed away, the people of Mai Bang village set up a ceremony to worship him, honoring him as the village tutelary god. In addition to Chieu Trung Dai Vuong Le Khoi, Mai Bang temple also worships Lady Che Thang Nguyen Thi Bich Chau, Lady Thuy Tinh and six founders of the village, reflecting the depth of belief as well as the tradition of "drinking water, remembering the source" of the coastal community.
Every year, two major festivals take place at Mai Bang Temple on February 12th and May 3rd of the lunar calendar. Among them, the February 12th festival is of special significance, both as the anniversary of the village's establishment and as a fishing praying festival for Cua Lo fishermen, and also as the death anniversary of Lady Che Thang.
The festival includes a solemn ceremony with rituals of praying for claws, praying for fish, carrying palanquins, and a vibrant festival with many folk games such as human chess, tug of war, shaking bamboo sticks, stick pushing, sack jumping, making "quet oan" cakes - a type of cake offered to sacred gods - among the clans, creating a community cultural activity space imbued with identity.
Mai Bang Temple Festival is considered a typical intangible cultural heritage of the residents of Cua Lo sea area, contributing to preserving traditional values, strengthening community cohesion and educating patriotism for generations.
Besides this heritage, Nghe An also has a new national intangible cultural heritage, which is knowledge of processing food from eels, according to Decision No. 22/QD-BVHTTDL of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
