Dong Nhan temple festival

Dong Nhan Temple is located in Hai Ba Trung district (Hanoi), worshiping Hai Ba Trung, outstanding female heroes who rose up against the Eastern Han army to gain independence for the nation.

It has become an annual custom that on the 4th to 6th day of the 2nd lunar month, the people of Dong Nhan ward and the people of the Capital eagerly head to the Dong Nhan temple festival to commemorate their efforts in suppressing the enemy and saving the country. Hai Ba Trung.

Dong Nhan Temple Festival is held from the 4th to the 6th of February of the lunar calendar every year, the main festival is February 5 - 6. Every 5 years there is a large festival, attracting many people and tourists from all over to attend.

Main developments of the festival:

February 4th: From early morning, the Dong Nhan ward's elders in traditional costumes perform the ceremony of wrapping up the worshiping objects and offering offerings to the Saint to open the festival.

Next, there is a ceremony of offering tea and wine to the harem according to ancient customs, performed by the elderly women. Next, the Dong Nhan ward women's altar team performed the incense offering ceremony.

February 5: The main day of the festival, from 6:00 a.m., amidst the sounds of drums, gongs, flags, and colorful parasols, the procession goes to Nguyen Cong Tru street and then to the banks of the Red River, to the Hai Ba temple. At Bach Dang street, stop for the palanquin. The water procession team carries 2 boats to the waiting boat, then row the boat to the middle of the stream, scoop water into the pair of boats (the water brought back will be boiled with agarwood for the ceremony of bathing the statue and offering to the Saint). After that, the water procession team rowed the boat to shore and then joined the main procession to return to the temple. When the procession has settled down at the temple, the female priesthood team performs the incense offering ceremony for the Saint.

After the funeral, there is a lantern dance performance, performed by ten girls wearing scarves, wearing black ao dai, red belts, holding two lamps in both hands, dancing in front of the altar. Leading the dance team is a "flattering whore" played by a man pretending to be a woman, wearing a white shirt, pants, scarf, a tambourine, a bunting on his back, and "flattering" hands leading the movements of the team. dance the lights softly and gracefully. In the evening, the Moc Duc ceremony takes place at 7:00 p.m. with the six offerings performed by monks (offering six offerings of incense, flowers, lamps and candles, tea, and fruit).

February 6: The last day of the festival, in the morning there is a tableau performance, recreating the scene of the Trung Sisters riding elephants to fight the enemy. Next, a meeting to welcome the commune mandarins back to celebrate the council was held.

According to traditional custom, at exactly 12 noon, the vegetarian meal of the owner and the villagers is brought in to celebrate the Holy Mass. Next is the council offering ceremony of the 4 communes and wards concluding: Dong Nhan, Me Linh, Hat Mon, Phung Cong. At the end of the festival is the closing ceremony of the temple by the Dong Nhan men's worship team in the late afternoon.

During the festival, there are also many activities organized such as: Quan ho singing on the boat, adoration singing, rice cooking contest, martial arts performance, whip dancing, chess competition, cockfighting...

Dong Nhan Festival is one of the unique festivals of the people of the Capital, helping future generations to always look back to their roots and not forget to be grateful to the national heroes who contributed to fighting the enemy and defending the country.