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Manage No, Sortation, Country, Writer ,Date, Copyright Manage No EE00001157 Country Vietnam ICH Domain Social practices, rituals, festive events Address Gióng festival’s space is at Sóc Temple (Sóc Sơn district, Hanoi) and Phù Đổng Temple (Gia Lâm district, Hanoi). In addition, there are more than 300 villages worshiping Saint Gióng in the Red River deltaYear of Designation 2012
| Description | Saint Gióng also known as Phù Đổng Sky King in historical literature is a legendary hero of the ancient Vietnamese. Many centuries ago, Saint Gióng festival of Phù Đổng village –his homeland– was ranked as the most attractive one in the Northern Delta. It attracts tens of thousands of people from everywhere to attend thanks to its performing match like a battle that reenacts the national hero’s victory. The festival in Phù Đổng Village symbolically re-enacts the battles, in which the saint’s generals, such as Flag Master, Drum Master, Gong Master, Army Master and Children’s Master fight against the enemies generals. Gióng festival takes place from the 6th to the 12th day of the fourth lunar month, mobilizing hundreds of village male teenagers who act phù giá (assisstants) in an elite troop. On the 6th day of the fourth lunar month, those who act generals have to be launched in front of the Sky King, and then gather at Phù Đổng temple where they officially enter the time and space of the legend. A ritual of sacrifice is one of the most important practices of the festival at Sky King Temple as it is believed that sacrifice symbolizes the community’s respect dedicated to the holy Saint. It is followed by the ritual of water procession performed by the generals of the troop, which implies that sacred water taken from Mẫu Temple is used to bathe the weapon. The chess-playing ritual also known as the battle ritual is the central activity of Gióng festival of Phù Đổng temple and it is practiced in the form of a grand performance. In the Sóc Temple, where Saint Giong ascended to Heaven on his iron horse, the celebrations include a ritual of bathing Giong statue and a procession of bamboo flowers and elephant to the temple as offerings to the saint. Bamboo flowers are dispersed to villager as a good luck throughout the year. |
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| Social and cultural significance | Gióng festival is a traditional cultural festival that vividly reenacts the progress of Saint Gióng’s battles fighting against the Yin invaders. The rituals in the festival help the community to raise awareness of victorious nature of the people’s war in the cause of liberating and defending the country |
| Transmission method | The main characters acting in the performance are selected strictly in terms of age, conduct and family background. This 11-year-old girl was honored to be selected by the community to act the role as one of the 28 female enemy generals. One month before the festival, female enemy generals had to rehearse with a full cast of the rituals. In the festival, qualified youths are selected to play the role of generals in Saint Gióng’s troop. In order to become generals, they had to practice worshiping at the temple and escape from the mundane world until the end of the festival. It is believed that before being selected, they belong to the Saint and involved in the festival, separated from everyone around them. The rehearsal activities of generals are served by assistants. As usual practice, when the festival begins, the generals have to perform worshiping dedicated to the Goddess at Hạ Temple before participating in the main rituals at Thượng Temple. The female enemy generals also had to perform worshiping at theTemple to ask the Goddess for participating in the performance. This is the transmission of heritage practice for successive generations. |
| Community | The holders of The Gióng Festival of Phù Đổng and Sóc Temples are the Việt people in Phù Linh commune, Sóc Sơn district and Phù Đổng commune, Gia Lâm district, Hanoi |
| Type of UNESCO List | Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity |
| Incribed year in UNESCO List | 2010 |
Keyword
Information source
Vietnam National Institute Culture and Arts Studies (VICAS)
http://vicas.org.vnMaterials related to
Photos
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PI00002407
The Gióng Festival of Phù Đổng and Sóc Temples
The Panorama of Thượng Temple dedicated to Thánh Gióng, Phù Đổng Commune, Gia Lâm District Photographer Bùi Quang Thanh, 2009. © Vietnam Institute of Culture and Arts Studies.
Vietnam -
PI00003480
The Commander of the Flag: The Spirit of Traditional Giong Village Festival
Mr. Drum Commander at the Traditional Giong Festival
Vietnam 2018 -
PI00003492
The Commander of the Flag: The Spirit of Traditional Giong Village Festival
The Landscape of the Phu Dong Village during the Festive Days
Vietnam 2018 -
PI00004950
Gióng festival of Phù Đổng and Sóc temples
Saint Gióng also known as Phù Đổng Sky King in historical literature is a legendary hero of the ancient Vietnamese. Many centuries ago, Saint Gióng festival of Phù Đổng village – his homeland - was ranked as the most attractive one in the Northern Delta. It attracts tens of thousands of people from everywhere to attend thanks to its performing match like a battle that reenacts the national hero’s victory. Gióng festival takes place from the 6th to the 12th day of the fourth lunar month, mobilizing hundreds of village male teenagers who act phù giá (assisstants) in an elite troop. On the 6th day of the fourth lunar month, those who act generals have to be launched in front of the Sky King, and then gather at Phù Đổng temple where they officially enter the time and space of the legend. A ritual of sacrifice is one of the most important practices of the festival at Sky King Temple as it is believed that sacrifice symbolizes the community’s respect dedicated to the holy Saint. It is followed by the ritual of water procession performed by the generals of the troop, which implies that sacred water taken from Mẫu Temple is used to bathe the weapon. The chess-playing ritual also known as the battle ritual is the central activity of Gióng festival of Phù Đổng temple and it is practiced in the form of a grand performance.
Vietnam
Videos
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VI00000103
The Flag Commander: Traditional Village Festival Spirit
Phu Dong Village in Vietnam holds a traditional festival to celebrate Saint Giong from the seventh to the ninth days of the fourth lunar month every year. One of the most important figures in the festival is Hieu, the Flag Commander. It is the Flag Commander's responsibility to select young men of good character from decent families in the village to serve the saint. Those selected are honored by the local residents after taking part in the festival. This video shows the social and religious aspects of the lives of local people who worship their local god, as well as the spiritual life of the local community reflected in the festival.
00:24:15
Vietnam 2019 -
VI00000117
The Commander of the Flag_The Spirit of the Traditional Giong Village Festival(KOR)
The film is about the traditional village festival in Phu Dong village that is organized annually to commemorate the Giong God from the 7th to the 9th days of the fourth lunar month. Among the Commanders, the Commander of the Flag is the most important, symbolizing the communal God. It is the task of Hieu to choose good people from decent families to serve the God. After taking part in the festival, they are honored by people in the area. The film emphasizes the social and religious aspects of the life of the local village people who worship their local god and the festival reflects the spiritual life of the community.
00:24:37
Vietnam 2019