Preserved for a hundred years
The traditional boat racing festival on Tra Khuc River, passing through Tinh Long Commune, Quang Ngai City is a special cultural mark, taking place every two years on the 5th and 6th of Lunar New Year. This is not only a race of boats stretching out on the water, but also a race of aspirations and beliefs in a good new year. Participating in the festival are four racing teams from the villages: Tang Long, An Dao, An Loc and Gia Hoa (Tinh Long Commune). Each team brings with them the pride of their homeland, and cannot lack the enthusiastic cheers of local people and tourists from near and far.
Although it has been hundreds of years, the boat racing festival on Tra Khuc River has not faded, but is increasingly preserved and promoted. According to local people, around December 11, people start holding ceremonies at the ancestral temple to ask for permission from the gods to organize the boat procession and launch ceremony. After the solemn ceremonies, the boat teams begin serious training, preparing for the big festival.
Mr. Nguyen Tu Hieu, a resident of An Loc village, shared with reporters that people living on the river always respect their ancestors and preserve the boat racing festival as an indispensable part of the spiritual life of the community. The boat racing festival is closely linked to the villagers' beliefs and is worshiped at the village's shrine and carefully preserved...
To achieve high prizes, each village selects healthy, flexible young people with experience in boat racing on the Tra Khuc River. Mr. Huynh Ngoc Thach, a resident of An Loc village, said: “Every year, around the 12th of December, our racing team will practice on the Tra Khuc River from 4am to 8am. No matter how difficult it is, we all try our best for the flag and colors of our village and for the joy of the people.”
Honoring the value of the Boat Racing Festival
The boat racing festival is not simply a sport or an entertainment activity, but also a symbol of community connection, a cultural activity with deep humanistic values. This is an opportunity to pray for national peace and prosperity, for favorable weather, for lush fields and gardens, and for each family to have a peaceful, prosperous and happy new year. According to the concept of the people of Tinh Long commune, the winning boat racing team will bring prosperity, luck and health to the whole village.
In 2024, the traditional boat racing festival of Tinh Long commune was honored to be recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. On the 5th day of the Lunar New Year 2025, Quang Ngai City will organize the Traditional Boat Racing Festival of Tinh Long commune and the ceremony to receive the title of National Intangible Cultural Heritage. This is an opportunity to honor the value of the festival, at the same time preserve and promote this cultural heritage, contributing to promoting tourism development of Quang Ngai city.
