Opening of the Traditional Boat Rowing Festival of Tong Goi Spring Giap Thin 2024

The festival is held to preserve and promote the local intangible cultural identity of rowing; promote the tradition of remembering the source of drinking water, arousing national pride; practically serving the needs of enjoying spiritual cultural values ​​and spiritual life of the people in the area.

Traditionally, the ceremony includes the following rituals: procession, incense offering, and sacrifice. The festival includes fireworks, drums, a welcome art program, and activities such as singing, dragon and lion dances, and folk games.

Hundreds of people participate in the 2024 Tong Goi Boat Rowing Festival.

The most special thing in the festival is the Cheo Tau singing performance with the response melodies between two ships - wooden dragon boats, not launched but rowed symbolically on land. Each ship has 13 people including the ship's queen, 2 ships and 10 ships. When performing, the ship's queen plays the gong, the 2 ships lead the singing and the ships sing along. Behind is a pair of elephants with two elephant trainers whose duty is to blow horns and signal.

The content of the songs in the Cheo Tau performance are individual songs and the response songs of the “ship” and the “statue”, all of which aim to praise the merits of the Thanh Hoang Tong Goi Van Di Thanh. Tan Hoi Cheo Tau singing includes 20 melodies, divided into forms such as: Hat trinh, hat thuyen and hat bo bo.

What is special is that all the songs of the art of Cheo Tau have been preserved intact by the people of Tan Hoi. Despite the ups and downs and changes of history, the lyrics and melodies still maintain their position and still captivate people's hearts.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the festival, Mr. Do Van Muoi - Chairman of Tan Hoi Commune People's Committee said that the glorious history of the homeland of Tong Goi, now Tan Hoi Commune - Dan Phuong District, is still imprinted in the Genealogy Book, praising the great virtue of Mr. Van Di Thanh. During his lifetime, he was a "hero of the world - intelligent, dignified - talented in both literature and martial arts".

Mr. Do Van Muoi - Chairman of Tan Hoi Commune People's Committee delivered the opening speech of the festival.

In 1407, the Ho Dynasty was defeated by the Ming Dynasty, the country was invaded, refusing to be enslaved by the Northern feudalism, he and Mr. Le Ngo practiced day and night, recruiting the insurgents. With his great talent and virtue, after only a short time, his reputation became famous throughout the region, the insurgents from places such as Phu Tho - Vinh Phuc - Bac Ninh - Hai Duong - Ninh Binh gathered in large numbers at Dong Dan hill (ie Dong Dinh area). Under the command of "intelligence, integrity - martial arts", that is why Mr. Van Di Thanh was honored by the insurgents as: Great Marshal Hoac Y Nhat Bo...

For more than 600 years, every year on the 15th day of the first lunar month, the people of Tong Goi have joyfully held a ceremony to show their respect for the Saint and in prosperous years, they will hold the Cheo Tau festival to praise His great merit and great career "shining brightly like the Sun and Moon and forever recorded in history books, passing down His glorious martial arts "Heroic epic - Eternal brilliance".

"Promoting the long-standing tradition and the spirit of solidarity, in recent years, the Party Committee and people of Tan Hoi commune have achieved the achievements set out in the resolution of the 25th Party Congress. The criteria for building a model rural area have been well implemented, political security has been stable, economic development has been promoted, people's lives have been significantly improved, there are no more poor households, cultural - educational - health work has made remarkable progress, epidemics have been prevented, environmental sanitation work has been done well, the environment is "bright - green - clean - beautiful" - Chairman of Tan Hoi Commune People's Committee Do Van Muoi emphasized.

According to the schedule, the 2024 Traditional Boat Rowing Festival will take place for 2 days from February 23 to 24 (ie from January 14 to 15, Giap Thin year) at the historical relic site of Lang Van Son and Voi Phuc Temple (Tan Hoi commune, Dan Phuong district).

Tong Goi includes four villages: Thuong Hoi, Thuy Hoi, Vinh Ky and Phan Long (Tan Hoi commune, Dan Phuong district) and has long been famous for its unique Cheo Tau singing festival.

According to ancient legends, General Van Di Thanh was a descendant of the Tran Dynasty's mandarins, born in the ancient Goi area. As a highly educated and talented person, well-versed in the classics, he had the merit of recruiting soldiers and training soldiers to fight against the Ming invaders. He was famous for his 6 oaths and commanded the army to victory wherever they fought. Under his talented leadership, the enemy suffered heavy losses. After his death in Goi, to praise the virtue of General Van Di Thanh, the people of Goi created a unique performing art form of Cheo Tau. On the occasion of the 15th day of the first lunar month every year, the people of Goi (now Tan Hoi commune) hold a traditional Cheo Tau singing festival.

News and photos: Trung Nguyen

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/khai-hoi-truyen-thong-cheo-tau-tong-goi-xuan-giap-thin-2024-post285545.html