Gua village festival

Gua village festival in Ha Nam Time: January 4 of the lunar calendar Gua village communal house is located in Liem Thuan commune, Thanh Liem district, Ha Nam province, and is a place to worship a talented general of King Dinh Bo Linh, Truong Nguyen, a son of Gua village. When he passed away, King Dinh had the fields planted, cut nails, and set up a temple to worship Truong Nguyen at Lang Gua communal house. The Gua village festival takes place on the 4th day of the first lunar month every year, to honor the great merits of this talented general. Currently, the Gua village festival includes sacrifices, processions, and fun games that mainly demonstrate martial spirit such as wrestling, swinging, bridge robbing, and sugar cane cutting. At night, there will be cultural performances of Cheo Tuong singing, most of which are self-written and performed by the villagers. Ceremonial drums, festival drums, procession drums, and rowing drums resound day and night, making the atmosphere of the festival even more jubilant and bustling. The Lang Gua communal house festival is also attractive by the bridge capture game. There is a legend that when General Truong Nguyen returned home from Hoa Lu - Ninh Binh, he brought with him a ball, a tool for soldiers to practice. When he returned to the village, he made a game of stealing the bridge for all the people. To this day, in the festival to worship Truong Nguyen, bridge robbery has become one of the most important rituals. This ball is made of wood, approximately the size of a volleyball, painted in gold to look very colorful, and has decorative wave clouds painted on the surface. This ball is considered a sacred object of Gua village. Up to now, its paint has been peeled off, the patterns and motifs have also faded and are no longer clear. Every year, only during festivals can this bridge be brought out to play and the game of stealing the bridge will be the first game to open the match. From early morning on the 4th, the communal house door was opened, the light bulbs were lit, and incense smoke was also wafting up. The drums beat loudly as if urging the villagers to temporarily put aside everything and return to the communal house. The village will choose an old farmer or a dignitary, who must have a harmonious family, harmony from above and below, to be the priest. Right at the hour of the Snake, the bridge-catching game will officially begin. The winning team will be allowed to enter the palace to drum and worship the saints to open the festival, and people believe that the winning team will get whatever they wish for that year. The meaning of the bridge robbery game is not only to honor the hero Truong Nguyen but also to show martial spirit. Some people even talk about traces of the practice of worshiping the sun god in the lives of ancient Vietnamese people.