Village festival "Elder Que"

The jubilant festival of Que village remembers Co Loa citadel Every year, every Tet and spring, the village festival "Elder Quai" jubilantly takes place from the 12th to the 15th of the first lunar month (lunar calendar) in Lien Ha commune, Dong Anh district, Hanoi. On the days of the festival, people in the village and tourists from all over have the opportunity to have fun and enjoy unique cultural features such as: wrestling, blindfolded duck catching, human chess, tug of war, tuong singing, quan ho singing, water puppetry... Honoring “Big Brother” According to Mr. Pham Van Vac, an elder in Chau Phong village, Lien Ha commune, he said that in 557 BC, when King An Duong Vuong moved the capital from Bach Hac (Viet Tri), he chose Co Loa land to build the capital. The people of ancient Co Loa, according to the king's decree, had to migrate to a new land. The villagers presented a petition to the king, asking for a piece of land to make a living. Immediately, the king suddenly dropped a pebble, which accidentally rolled to the northeast of Co Loa. Seeing this, the king considered it a "heavenly sign" and gave this land to his beloved people. From then on, the name Cuoi village was born. Over time, the name Cuoi was pronounced as Quei for ease of calling. Up to now, people here still often think that Que villagers are the "Eldest Brother" who sacrificed their motherland to let the king build the citadel. Therefore, although there are many other stories passed down around the origin of Quay village, every villager is very proud when mentioning "Elder Quay." Every year, on the 6th day of the first lunar month, Co Loa festival, Quay village nominates a group of 12 elders to pay homage to the king. However, as always, Co Loa villagers have to wait for the elders of Que village to arrive before starting the ceremony. The elders of Quay village are always warmly welcomed as if they were siblings and sit on the mat because of their merit in giving up land for the king to build the citadel. After that, the new Que Village Festival officially takes place from January 12-15. This festival worships three gods: Thuy Hai, Dang Giang, Khong. They are the village boys who followed Hai Ba Trung to repel invaders and the two saints Tam Giang and Dong Hai are predecessors who have contributed to the country. "The three villages of Que village share a common communal house which is the main place of worship for the five great kings and a couple of worshipers. Everything is prepared very early, weeks before the official festival day and carefully practiced," said Mr. Pham Hong Dan, deputy festival organizer. Along with the music and drums of the festival, the people of the three villages enthusiastically participated in the festival, creating a bustling and jubilant atmosphere. The village custom of "getting old"     During the four days of organization, the festival attracted thousands of people and tourists to participate, including people of the three "big brother" villages of Dai Vi, Giao Tac, Chau Phong and neighboring villages, along with eight communes of Loa Thanh. Mr. Pham Cao Thang, in charge of organizing the festival, happily talked, "In the festival, all people participate and voluntarily contribute merit, but not all ages can participate in the ceremony." Regarding the ceremony: "Village rules stipulate that village elders aged 60 and older can participate in the reception and offerings; those aged 50 are in charge of serving and receiving communion; those aged 49 must serve to serve water and betel to the elders; those aged 46 must prepare items and arrange prizes for games in the festival..." The custom of "getting old" is not only a formal regulation but also has many purposes, expressing the honor of holding a position, carrying traditional culture and the desire for the next generation to learn about the customs left by their ancestors, Mr. Pham Van Vac said slowly. Regarding the festival, Mr. Vac said that, legend has it that in the past, the elders also held the festival for 18 days and nights, continuously from January 12 to 30. Now it has been shortened to only four days to serve people's production. Therefore, people are excited, families eagerly race to go to the festival.