Palanquin procession of Hoang Chau Communal House Photo: Tran Van Thuy
(HPDT)– On the morning of July 8 (ie, June 10 lunar calendar), the Xa Ma Festival - Palanquin procession of Hoang Chau Communal House (Cat Hai District) was officially organized after a 2-year delay due to the COVID-19 epidemic which attracted hundreds of tourists and local people.
The festival attracted hundreds of tourists and local people.
Photo: Tran Van Thuy
Xa Ma Festival - Palanquin procession of Hoang Chau Communal House is held for 3 days from June 10 lunar calendar to commemorate the merits of the tutelary god and forebears who founded the village; also to pray for a year of favorable weather with bountiful fish seasons. The festival was recognized by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2017 for its unique and typical cultural values in the lives of the North Vietnamese People.
The ceremonials of palanquin procession. Photo: Le Thanh Hai
The ceremonials of palanquin procession. Photo: Le Thanh Hai
The ceremonials of palanquin procession. Photo: Le Thanh Hai
The festival consists of two main parts, the ceremony and the festival. The ceremony includes the following rituals: The main sacrifice (Te Cao Yet), and the security sacrifice (Te An Vi). In this part, tourists and villagers respectfully offer incense and conduct sacrifice in front of the altar of the tutelary god and forebears to worship for luck and peace.
Preparation for the wooden horse-drawing competition. Photo: Tran Van Thuy
Xa Ma is the festival’s highlight, attracting a lot of tourists and local people. Photo: Le Thanh Hai
Xa Ma is the festival’s highlight, attracting a lot of tourists and local people. Photo: Le Thanh Hai
In the festival, there are the ceremonials of palanquin procession and Xa Ma, an activity imbued with unique and spiritual beliefs, in which the male and female mandarins participating in the procession at the village festival must be unmarried. Once carried to the courtyard of communal house, the sacred throne palanquins suddenly moved as quick as flash over the courtyard and around the village like an awe-inspiringly powerful phenomenon. The highlight attracting local people and tourists is the Xa Ma, also known as the wooden horse-drawing competition with two teams: Giap Dong and Giap Doai, demonstrating the soldier training in the past.