Lam Chay Festival: A place where cultural, historical and humanistic values ​​converge

The people's festival 

The Lam Chay Festival has been a source of pride for generations, the second Tet, an indispensable part of the spiritual life of the people of Tam Vu town in particular and Chau Thanh district in general.

People join hands to organize the festival, which has become a tradition in Chau Thanh district

From around the 9th day of the lunar calendar, the area around Tan Xuan communal house (Tam Vu town, Chau Thanh district) begins to bustle. People in the surrounding area gather together to prepare for the festival. Some decorate the ceremony grounds and altars,and some decorate the boat and flower cart. In the neighborhoods, the group making the offerings cakes is also busy. All of this creates a joyful atmosphere from right after Tet.

At the familiar location of Hamlet 2, Ward 2, Tam Vu town, a small altar is decorated with flowers and fruits for people passing by to burn incense. There is a tradition of creating cakes according to the mascot of each year, so this year the cake has the shape of a cobra hugging a nest of eggs.

In the afternoon, people in the ward gather together, each doing their own work, to decorate the festival corner of their hometown. Pointing to two large pots of marigolds in full bloom, Ms. Tran Thi Khum (Ward 2, Tam Vu town) said: “I planted these two pots of marigolds myself. People here, whoever has something, contribute it, and work together. Things have been like this since ancient times. I personally find the festival even more joyful than Tet”.

With a variety of activities in both the ceremony and the festival, each year, the Lam Chay Festival attracts hundreds of thousands of people and visitors from all over to worship and have fun.

Rich in tradition and culture

Originating from a small offering ceremony of local people to commemorate patriots killed by the French, in the form of an offering tray to ward off evil spirits and pray for peace, from around the second half of the 19th century, through many ups and downs, the Lam Chay Festival has been preserved, developed, and become a community activity rich in history, humanity, and traditional culture.

The elders recounted that when the patriot Do Tuong Tu was executed by the French in the area near Tan Xuan communal house, the people were extremely sad. To commemorate him, people set up a small offering tray in the market area next to the communal house with the reason of praying for peace for the people, eliminating evil spirits causing chaos in the market. Before 1945, the ceremony was organized simply, only setting up an underground altar to pray for the dead at the old market house (current Tam Vu market area).

From 1945-1954, each offering period had an additional part of hat boi. From 1954 to 1979, the ceremony continued to be held at Tam Vu market. From 1980 to present, the worship was transferred to Tan Xuan communal house. Over time, the worship ceremony has been preserved as a way for Chau Thanh district people to nurture patriotism and educate the next generation about traditions.

Up to now, the small offering tray in Tam Vu market has become the most anticipated festival of the year with worship rituals imbued with tradition and a harmony between religions and beliefs, both expressing patriotism and preserving local culture and creating a festive, joyful atmosphere, enriching the spiritual life of people in the area.

After 11 years of participating in the Tan Xuan communal house management board, Mr. Bui Van Biet affirmed: “The fact that people join hands to organize the Lam Chay Festival has become obvious here. Each person who comes here brings different wishes: Praying for peace and prosperity for their family, praying for national peace and prosperity, expressing the tradition of “When drinking water, remember its source” and also for the joy received when participating in the festival. Everyone here is aware of preserving the culture, from the worship rituals to building a hospitable and civilized image. With the management, guidance and support of the government, the order and safety of the festival are also guaranteed. For many years, the Lam Chay Festival has not had any superstitious or distorted activities thanks to that”.

The festival has many traditional worship rituals that have been passed down to this day, demonstrating the harmony of religion and belief. Among them, we can mention the Opening Prayer for Peace ritual led by monks to pray for peace for the community; The ritual of worshiping martyrs is performed by Caodaism followers and the ritual of De phan liet by a Buddhist monk, chanting sutras and hanging talisman praising the martyrs' sacrifices for the Fatherland.

Souls calling ritual is a humane ritual at the Lam Chay Festival

The highlight of the festival is the ritual to call up the souls. Here, the ritual and the festival part are harmonized when the crowd follows the procession on foot, crowded and bustling. While the procession goes to the places to worship and invite the wandering souls to Ong Tieu altar to pray for the deceased, the crowd creates a bustling atmosphere with trumpets, flowers, costumes and water splashing.

Souls calling ritual at the Lam Chay Festival

The soul calling ritual creates the humanity of the festival when all wandering souls are remembered and summoned to be prayed for. And the excitement of the crowd in a safe and joyful environment creates an unmistakable feature of the Lam Chay Festival in Chau Thanh district.

Another outstanding feature is that Lam Chay is one of the festivals with the most free stalls in the province. In addition to offering free vegetarian meals throughout the festival days, around the Lam Chay Festival area there are many free herb water and vegetarian porridge stalls to serve visitors from all over the country.

Mr. Tam Toi (the boat team) said that for many years, in addition to decorating the boat and the dock, people in the surrounding area have also contributed funds to serve free herb water stall to serve visitors attending the festival. A glass of cool herb water, a warm and cheerful smile is enough to create an unforgettable impression of a festival season in Chau Thanh district./.

By Que Lam - Translated by Q. Thien

Source: https://baolongan.vn/le-hoi-lam-chay-noi-hoi-tu-gia-tri-van-hoa-lich-su-nhan-van-a190210.html