According to Chairman of Thanh Tri District People's Committee Nguyen Xuan Phong, Thanh Tri is a land of outstanding people, rich in revolutionary history and long-standing culture. The whole district has 154 historical and cultural relics, of which 88 relics are ranked; and 45 traditional festivals, typically the Tong Nam Phu Festival - a sacred ceremony to pay tribute to the two Bodhisattvas Ly Tu Thuc and Ly Tu Huy, two princesses of the Ly Dynasty who gave up the glory of the palace to practice Buddhism and bring a peaceful life to the people.
People participate in the Nam Phu Festival of Dong My commune. Photo: H.Giang
The Tong Nam Phu Festival is held on the 14th, 15th, and 16th of the third lunar month with the water-asking ceremony and the procession to the pagoda to perform the Bao Sai ceremony, the Bach Van opening ceremony, the incense offering ceremony of the people and villages, the procession of the Two Bodhisattva palanquins and the Bat Cong palanquins... The festival includes art performances and folk games.
The festival is not only about its history with a tradition of more than 900 years, but also about its widespread spread throughout the space and consciousness of the community. Six sacred pagodas, including: Hung Phuc, Thanh Liem (Ngu Hiep commune); Hung Long (Dong My commune); Long Khach, Kim Cuong (Duyen Ha commune) and Pho Quang pagoda (Ninh Xa village, Ninh So commune), spread across Thanh Tri and Thuong Tin districts, creating a strong spiritual connection system, a symbol of harmony, solidarity and close community ties for generations.
In order to preserve and promote the unique cultural values of the Tong Nam Phu Festival, the People's Committees of Thanh Tri and Thuong Tin districts have recently researched, surveyed, and collected historical documents; built a dossier to submit to competent authorities to propose including the Tong Nam Phu Traditional Festival in the list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Representing the heritage practice community, Chairwoman of Dong My Commune People's Committee Le Thi Hong Thu said that in the coming time, the communes will continue to join hands and unite to effectively carry out the work of preserving and promoting the heritage value of Tong Nam Phu Traditional Festival in particular and cultural heritages in general according to the motto: Taking people as the center and subject of activities; turning heritage into assets serving local economic development; contributing to building an advanced Vietnamese culture imbued with national identity.
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