Tho Chuong communal house festival

Tho Chuong communal house festival in Ha Nam Time: January 4 - January 6 of the lunar calendar   Tho Chuong communal house in Dao Ly commune, Ly Nhan, Ha Nam, is a large communal house worshiping village god Vu Lang Nuu. Vu Lang Niu was from Tho Chuong and had meritorious service in defeating the enemy, which is why the king exempted people in the village from taxes and service. Every year, on the 4th to 6th day of the first lunar month, the people of Tho Chuong village enthusiastically hold a festival to celebrate the day Mr. Vu Lang Nuu returned to the village victorious, which was also the day Vu Xa commune was granted an exemption from tax collection and miscellaneous services by the king. The ceremony at Tho Chuong communal house festival takes place very solemnly. Borders of Ben, Dong, Doai, Truc, He, and Trung all make feasts to worship the tutelary god. Every armor chooses the biggest, fattest chickens to slaughter, puts the wings on its head, hangs a bag of money in the chicken's new beak and places it on the altar. Worshiping the tutelary god also includes the custom of competing in fat pigs and making banh day. The 20th day of the 7th lunar month is the day Mr. Vu Lang Niu passed away. Every year, the villagers hold ceremonies and read orations to review his biography, and remind everyone to remember the tutelary god's merits. But the most crowded day is the opening day from January 8 to 12. Tho Chuong village festival, like the nearby Dong Lau village, is to honor the tutelary god and also to encourage traditional crafts of the homeland. Village rules have been established since ancient times: the palanquin procession starts from Dong Lau to Tho Chuong and then returns. Both communal houses will hold sacrifices and have a good meal on the 8th day. Dong Lau village will bring the procession until evening. On the 12th, Tho Chuong village will take the procession to Dong Lau village and then return in the afternoon. On the days of the procession, people in the village eagerly participated. People and families welcome guests to enjoy delicious cups of tea and skillfully crafted betel pieces. Every evening during Tho Chuong communal house festival there are Cheo performances. The painting has four words inscribed on it, Vu hamuen ca to remind the people of the village to remember the singing custom during the festival. Tho Chuong village festival is not only attractive by the sacrificial procession, but also by many fun folk games such as wrestling, chess fighting, playing shrimp nest... in which wrestling is the game that attracts the most viewers. In addition to the wrestlers in the village, there are also many wrestlers in many other communes such as Dong Yen, Dong Lu, Mac Thuong, Phuc Chau, Mac Ha.. coming to participate in the tournament. Tho Chuong village's wrestlers often receive high prizes because it is said that in the past, there was a very strong man here. Every time he took a cow to the field, he carried the cow around his waist. That's why people in the village called him Khoe commune. When he became a farmer, he often won high awards for the village and left this martial tradition to the villagers. Tho Chuong village festival is a friendship between the two villages Dong Lau and Vu Xa. This festival has shown the deep cultural layer of tutelary god worship among the people here. In every person here, doing business and fighting are always intertwined, and the desire for a peaceful life has been entrusted by the people in their trust in the tutelary god, but the new meaning does not obscure the meanings from the past.