"Via Ba Thuy Long" Festival recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage

Dignitaries of the Thuy Long Temple in Thanh Tung Hamlet, Thanh Tung Commune, Dam Doi District, Ca Mau Province received the National Cultural Heritage Certificate from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Located in Thanh Tung hamlet, Thanh Tung commune, Dam Doi district, Ca Mau , the temple worshiping Lady Thuy Long (Thuy Long cung than nu) was established by the people 124 years ago, associated with the legends and anecdotes of the ancestors who established a career on the new land. The temple was built by two ancestors, To Minh Chanh and Nguyen Van Lanh, facing Bo Mu - Bau Dua estuary, marking the process of reclaiming the Thanh Tung land today.

The biggest festival in Ca Mau

Being a region with a dense network of rivers and streams, the folk culture of Ca Mau people is closely linked to the exploitation of nature, in which the main source of livelihood is the river and the sea. Therefore, the custom of worshiping Lady Thuy Long has been closely associated with the people of Ca Mau since the first days of setting foot on this land.

According to the elders, this place used to be a wild land, with countless fish and shrimp. At that time, there were two ancestors, To Minh Chanh and Nguyen Van Lanh, who came from the Central region to find a way to make a living. The two men were on a dugout canoe (a canoe carved from a tree trunk), when they reached this river junction, a large snakehead fish jumped into the canoe. Believing it was a good omen, a sign of "prosperity - health", the two men decided to choose this land to settle down and build a temple to worship the Goddess Thuy Long at the river junction.

Up to now, the descendants of the two ancestors have settled down in this land for the 8th generation. The temple worshiping the ancient Goddess Thuy Long has been restored, renovated, and the tablets of the two ancestors are worshiped by their descendants in the temple.

The festival is held annually on the 16th and 17th of the second lunar month, attracting thousands of visitors from near and far to come and participate. The rituals of the festival are a harmonious combination of mother worship and folk beliefs with unique local identities with a unique ritual program.

Along with the ceremony, cultural, artistic and sports activities are always organized in the temple yard. The festival is considered the biggest folk festival in Dam Doi, Ca Mau province.

Lady Thuy Long Festival at Van intersection, Thanh Tung hamlet, Thanh Tung commune, Dam Doi district, Ca Mau province. (Photo provided by Ca Mau Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

Local people perform the worship according to custom, called Ky Yen worship (praying for peace) with the purpose of praying for "favorable weather, favorable wind, national peace and people 's safety". The worship ceremony usually has duck meat and various kinds of cakes, incense, candles, tea, and fruit. The worship day is organized depending on the conditions of each locality. In a good harvest year, the worship is large, in a bad harvest year, the worship is small.

Unique folk culture of the river region

Goddess Thuy Long, also known as Lady Thuy Long, is a goddess worshiped in all localities of the Southern Delta, especially in the Ca Mau river region. The main form of worship is at communal temples. There are temples that go hand in hand with the communal house, located in the architectural complex of the communal house; there are temples that are built separately with the main hall worshiping Goddess Thuy Long. According to initial statistics, in Ca Mau province there are dozens of temples worshiping Goddess Thuy Long with many different scales.

Speaking to Kinh te & Do thi newspaper, Mr. Tran Hieu Hung - Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ca Mau province said: "The custom of worshipping the Goddess Thuy Long is a form of folk belief associated with the residents of the river region, which has existed for hundreds of years in the spiritual life of the people of the South in general, and Ca Mau people in particular. If places of worship are preserved and actively promoted, they will become places to connect the community, places to organize healthy cultural activities, contributing to stabilizing social order and building local cultural life."

"The Thuy Long Festival in Thanh Tung Dam Doi, recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage, is a mark of Ca Mau folk culture's contribution to the country's unique culture. In particular, in the current stage of cultural preservation and development, the heritage is also an important landmark to attract tourists to serve local economic development. Therefore, preserving and maintaining it is the responsibility and pride of Ca Mau people," said Mr. Tran Hieu Hung.

Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/le-hoi-via-ba-thuy-long-duoc-cong-nhan-di-san-van-hoa-phi-vat-the.html