King Mai Temple Festival

The King Mai Temple Festival takes place from the 13th to the 15th of the first lunar month at the Special National Monument of Mai Hac De Tomb Area, Nam Dan town, Nam Dan district (Nghe An). King Mai Temple Festival is a traditional spiritual cultural festival held every year in January (lunar calendar). This is an opportunity to commemorate the merits of King Mai Thuc Loan and his generals; Arousing national pride and self-respect among people of all walks of life, especially the younger generation. The festival takes place at 2 locations: King Plum Tomb and King Plum Temple belonging to the special national relic Temple of King Mai Hac De; In which, the meeting is concentrated in the Mausoleum Area. In addition to rituals and ceremonies such as the opening ceremony, announcement ceremony, water procession, god procession, and great ceremony, people and tourists can also immerse themselves in many exciting and unique cultural and sports activities, such as: lion-dragon dance, boat racing, wrestling, chess, cockfighting, fairy swing, ferris wheel, stick pushing, chicken sticky rice making contest, volleyball competition... In which, traditional objects are considered an important highlight of the festival. According to history books, every year, in the spring, King Mai had the regions organize competitions, choosing healthy wrestlers to add to the vanguard army. Wrestling has since become a custom in village festivals, demonstrating the martial spirit of the people of Nghe An. Mai Thuc Loan - the National Hero and the person who initiated and led the people to stand up against the domination of the Tang Dynasty. In 713, Mai Thuc Loan raised the flag of rebellion in Hoan Chau. To summon the people, Mai Thuc Loan ascended the throne (proclaimed Mai Hac De), setting up his capital in Van An. From Hoan Chau, the uprising quickly spread to many places, the insurgents captured Tong Binh citadel, liberated a large area and maintained independence for 10 years (713-722). In 722, during the war to protect the capital Van An, King Mai heroically sacrificed his life at the foot of Dun mountain. After the King passed away, his third son, Mai Thuc Huy (aka Mai Thieu De), succeeded and continued to lead the uprising. However, not long after, the uprising was brutally suppressed by the Tang Dynasty. Later, to commemorate King Mai's merits, people built mausoleums and temples. The feudal dynasties all had decrees posthumously honoring Mai Hac De's beautiful title and were listed as international.