| Description |
Trần Temple Festival is a "two-term spring-autumn" festival to commemorate ancestors, 14 Trần Dynasty kings and Hưng Đạo King - Trần Quốc Tuấn. In spring, the Trần Temple seal opening ceremony takes place solemnly on the night of January 14 and 15 with 3 rituals: thurify, the procession of seal palanquin and seal opening at the Trần Dynasty's Tiên Temple (Thiên Trường palace). In the past, in the years of the Rat, Horse, Cat, and Rooster, on the full moon day of the first month, Thượng Temple held a Seal Opening ceremony with the participation of seven villages: Vọc, Lốc, Hậu Bồi, Bảo Lộc, Kênh, Bái, Tức Mặc. In front of the temple yard flutters a large flag, in the middle embroidered with the words "East" and "A" combined. The procession from surrounding communal houses and temples to offer incense and sacrifices at Thượng temple.
During the opening ceremony, the door of Thiên Trường temple is closed to ensure solemnity. From 11:55 p.m. onwards, the temple will open for people to continue the New Year's ceremony. After the main ceremony, the temple will be opened to people and visitors at the first ceremony of the year. From 5 a.m. on January 15, the organizing committee will hold a seal-disclosing ceremony for people and tourists from all over.
In the fall, the Trần Temple festival is held from Full Moon to August 20 with the mindset of "August is the father's death anniversary, March is the mother's death anniversary". The festival is solemnly celebrated, with processions from surrounding communal houses and temples to offer incense and sacrifices at the Thuong temple to worship the 14 Tran kings. The incense offering ceremony had 14 virgin girls carrying 14 flower trays entering the temple with music to offer to 14 kings.
The festival has many rich and interesting forms of cultural activities such as cockfighting, five-generation martial arts performance, wrestling, lion dancing, playing card games, praying for overseas Vietnamese, singing adoration, and dancing card games. |
