In March of the lunar calendar, Binh Vong village seems to have a very different look. Not exactly noisy, nor yet bustling, but it is the atmosphere of both excitement and hustle and bustle of the villagers. The mornings are still covered in mist, the sunlight pouring down on the temple yard, the communal house yard is clearer than usual. The village road seems cleaner, the roofs seem wider, and the footsteps of passersby seem to be more numerous. Anyone passing by can recognize: The village is entering the festival.
Binh Vong village has maintained a traditional festival for many generations during the 3rd lunar month. The festival takes place for 3 days, from the 7th to the 9th of the 3rd lunar month, to commemorate Chieu Van Vuong Tran Nhat Duat - a talented general of the Tran dynasty, who was honored by the people as the village tutelary god. In the memory of the people here, it is not only a historical figure worshiped, but also a sacred part of the village, of the land, of stories told from generation to generation.
The elders in the village still tell each other that, in the 2nd resistance war against the Yuan army in 1285, Binh Vong was on the front line against the enemy in the south of the capital. When assigned to fight the Yuan army in Ham Tu, Chieu Van Vuong Tran Nhat Duat stopped the army at Binh Vong. At Linh Tu, he performed a prayer ceremony. That night, he was told by the gods that this battle would surely be a big victory. Indeed, after only one battle, the Yuan army in Ham Tu lost miserably. When he died, to remember the merits of the general who was both literary and martial, the people built a temple to worship him. From then on, on this land, remembrance of him was not only a ritual, but gradually became a persistent spiritual habit, deeply ingrained in community life.
The traditional festival is held every year, but every 2 years, people in the village perform a palanquin procession ceremony. For the people of Binh Vong, it is not only a ritual maintained according to the old custom, but also an opportunity for the whole village to turn to Thanh Hoang, contributing to a complete, warm and meaningful festival day for the hometown.
In villages that still retain the old customs, festivals always come before the main festival day and at Binh Vong village as well. Mr. Luong Khac Hung - Village Head of Binh Vong rushed to the village entrance to welcome us as a distinguished guest visiting and excitedly told about the preparation stages for the traditional festival.
On this occasion, every day, elderly people, young people, and young children sit together in the communal house yard to prepare for the festival from early morning until late at night. Some people take care of cleaning the worship space, some meticulously stroke each flag to flatten it, and carefully wipe the lacquered palanquin placed in the middle of the communal house yard... The beauty of the village festival is often not only in the moment the flag opens and the drums sound, but right in those hurried days, when everyone wants to contribute a small part to make the festival more complete.
The preparation process for the festival is tiring but very fun. From the elderly in the village to young people and children, everyone does their own thing, everyone is looking forward to the festival. I just hope the festival will be decent and fun so that the people in the village and those who have gone far can still see the traditional customs of many generations," Mr. Luong Khac Hung said while observing whether each festival flag is neat and aligned.
In the communal house yard, people walk back and forth, not missing a single detail. Sometimes people stop by the porch to ask for another thing, sometimes someone quickly steps out into the yard to see how the decoration is.
In another corner, Mr. Nguyen Van Thinh - Head of the elderly association branch of Binh Vong village looked around the communal house yard to check, carefully and meticulously as if preserving not only one ritual, but also the old customs of the village. "Tens of years have passed, it's been decades since I participated in the village association, but every year I'm still excited like that, even young people or children are excited. Binh Vong village is changing day by day, people's lives are getting better and they are even more grateful and love the traditional features from generations that the elders left behind," Mr. Thinh said, his eyes shining with undisguised excitement.
The beauty of the countryside is that no one talks too much about their sacrifice or responsibility. People only do it with habit, with feelings, with a very natural thought that village affairs are common affairs. Therefore, in March, the bustle in Binh Vong village does not create a feeling of chaoticness, but it is the rhythm of sincerity, of people who understand that they must keep the village festival together, keep the tradition from time immemorial.
This year, the people of Binh Vong village will together carry palanquins with more than 30 processions and mobilize nearly 300 people from ritual teams, elderly people to young men and women in the village. The communal house yard now has people passing by from early morning to late afternoon. Some practice the procession formation, some review the ritual sceptres, some check flags, drums, gongs, some remind each other of every small detail so that all rituals when taking place are complete and solemn. Not yet the festival day, but just looking at that scene is enough to feel the excitement spreading throughout the village.
Not only the ritual part is carefully prepared, but the side activities of the festival also make the atmosphere in Binh Vong more bustling. Right from the days leading up to the festival, people in the village reminded each other about Quan Ho singing performances, cultural exchange programs and folk games. The elderly wait for an ancient tune to be heard in the middle of the pond, while young people and children are excited about rustic fun, where laughter can naturally echo like in a rural market in the old days.
These activities make the Binh Vong Festival not only have the solemnity of the ritual part, but also the closeness and warmth of the festival part, where people meet, play together and see village and neighborhood affection filling in each song, each cheer, every moment gathering in the communal house yard.
