Sacred Hue Nam Temple Festival: Converging beliefs, preserving the ancient soul of Hue land

From August 30 to September 1 (ie from the 8th to the 10th day of the 7th lunar month), in Hue City, the Hue Nam Temple Festival (commonly known as Hon Chen Temple) took place, one of the unique cultural and spiritual festivals of the ancient capital, attracting a large number of believers, people and tourists from all over.

The ceremony started at 6am, full of solemnity and respect.

The Hue Nam Temple Festival is to honor the Holy Mother Thien YA Na. According to legend, this is the Goddess who created the land, trees, forests of precious wood, rice, corn... and taught people how to grow crops. The festival is considered a folk cultural festival on the Perfume River with single and double boats, flags, and colorful incense altars of pilgrims to Hon Chen Temple.

The main activities of the festival include: Announcement Ceremony, Main Ceremony to pray for national peace and prosperity, Ceremony to welcome the Holy Mother and the Four Palaces Council to Hai Cat communal house, Main Ceremony at Hai Cat communal house, Thanksgiving Ceremony... Each ceremony recreates the atmosphere of ancient folk beliefs, blending with performances and dances typical of the worship of the Holy Mother.

Despite the heavy rain, the believers arrived very early to reverently perform the rituals.

From early morning of August 30 (ie July 8 of the lunar calendar), at Thien Tien Thanh Giao Sanctuary, No. 352 Chi Lang, Hue City, the opening ceremony took place with the participation of many mediums, fellow believers, people and tourists present to participate in the rituals. After performing the rituals here, nearly 40 bangs and chau an (ie single and double Dragon boats) welcoming the Holy Mother and the Council of Four Palaces at Thien Tien Thanh Giao Sanctuary (352 Chi Lang, Hue City) welcoming the Holy Mother by waterway upstream of the Perfume River to Hue Nam Palace.

The procession also included a team of mediums, servants and thousands of pilgrims. Inside the boat were placed the Mother Goddess palanquin and the royal decree box along with worship objects such as umbrellas, umbrellas, flags and fans. The procession of hundreds of people recreated the unique traditional cultural beliefs, displaying a variety of colorful ancient costumes combined with performances and dances typical of the Mother Goddess worship.

The procession, wearing traditional costumes, performed the ritual of bringing the worship objects onto the boat.

The procession performs the ceremony of bringing the palanquin down to the boat.

In recent years, the Hue Nam Temple Festival has been organized on an increasingly large scale and methodically with close coordination between the Hue Nam Temple Sponsoring Board, the Department of Culture and Sports of Hue City, the Center for Conservation of Ancient Capital Monuments and related units. The festival activities are imbued with spiritual and cultural colors, honoring the Mother Goddess Worship and at the same time promoting the role of Vietnamese women. Thereby, the festival not only preserves and promotes the heritage value associated with the relic but also meets the spiritual needs of the religious community.

In the stormy weather, the dragon boat group still persevered in carrying the palanquin on the river, demonstrating the spirit of perseverance and respect in the traditional ceremony.

In stormy weather, the dragon boat procession still persevered in carrying the palanquin on the river, demonstrating perseverance and respect in traditional rituals.

According to Meritorious Artisan Le Van Ngo - Deputy Head of the festival organizing committee; Chairman of the Mother Goddess Cultural Heritage Association of Hue City, said : “The Hue Nam Temple Festival is increasingly organized in a disciplined manner and raises community awareness. The organizing committee has paid more attention to propaganda and mobilization work, mobilizing people and tourists to ensure safety, environmental sanitation, comply with fire prevention and fighting regulations and especially limit the widespread release of animals. Thanks to that, the festival atmosphere is both solemn and civilized, leaving a good impression on visitors. For those who have devoted their whole lives to the Mother Goddess worship belief like us, the fact that the festival is maintained and increasingly improved is a joy, and at the same time, a testament to the enduring vitality of folk culture in today's life.”

Dragon boats decorated with flags and streamers, following each other on the river, open up a sacred festival space, where the faith and devotion of thousands of believers converge.

The festival is not only a traditional religious activity, but also an occasion to honor the Vietnamese Mother Goddess Worship, one of the representative intangible cultural heritages of humanity. At the same time, this event also opens the series of autumn activities "Hue in Autumn" within the framework of Hue Festival 2025, promising to bring visitors rich spiritual and cultural experiences when setting foot in the ancient capital.

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/linh-thieng-le-hoi-dien-hue-nam-hoi-tu-niem-tin-luu-giu-hon-xua-dat-hue-10385294.html