Phu Giay Festival In Nam Dinh 2024

Phu Giay Festival is held every year in the third lunar month. The festival aims to honor "Mother" Lieu Hanh - a religious figure among the four immortals revered by Vietnamese people. Especially, the festival has a great spiritual meaning in the hearts of the people of Nam Dinh.

About Phu Day

Kim Thai Commune, Vu Ban District, Nam Dinh Province is where Phu Giay is situated. Lieu Hanh, one of Vietnamese culture's "four eternal gods," is worshipped in Phu Giay.

With several isolated mountains and a huge delta surrounding it, Phu Giay is a unique architectural setting. The surrounding communities are prosperous. Phu Giay is a stunning building with a glorious size in the religious architectural system in the North, while not being an antique architectural structure. This piece displays Vietnamese dynasty cultural characteristics.

Phu Giay

Phu Day Festival

Phu Giay Festival occurs annually from the 1st to the 10th of the third lunar month.

The origin of Phu Day Festival

Phu Giay was formerly known as Ke Giay. It is not known exactly what year Phu Giay was built. Only know that in 1557 during the reign of King Le Anh Tong of the Le Dynasty, this place was divided into two communes, Tien Huong and Van Cat, because of friction between the people. Later, Phu Giay also divided the architecture into 2 separate areas named Tien Huong Palace and Van Cat Palace.

Phu Day worship Holy Mother Lieu Hanh

Agricultural labor is rather leisurely during the third lunar month. Peasants are looking forward to harvesting. With various celebrations taking place, the spiritual life source of the people of Nam Dinh began to swell as well. The Phu Giay Festival has increasingly become an essential celebration in the spring of Nam Dinh and the North. As a result, individuals are willing to embark on pilgrimages to rest after long days at work and seek a religious conviction to anticipate greater things in their lives.

The main rituals in the festival

• Procession of Quan Am Thinh Kinh: with a long procession of dragons and snakes, music team, hall sound bowls,... from Phu Tien Huong to Goi Pagoda.
• Torch relay around temples, palaces, and mausoleums in the complex of historical and cultural relics of Phu Giay.
• Chinese flag-drawing ceremony at Truong Hoi
• The Hau Dong ritual – an indispensable part of folk beliefs and especially the belief of Mother Goddesses, takes place during the festival.

Hau Dong ritual

In addition, there are rituals to ask for scriptures, the procession of tribute bowls to the communal house, a dragon dance festival on Tien Huong mountain, solemn Chau Van dance, and watching sparkling skylights and sending wishes.

Detailed about the Phu Day Festival

The festival at Phu Day lasts for 10 days, following these customs:

• On the 1st day, the villages of Tien Huong and Van Cat perform a ceremony to open the gates of the ancestral temple, known as the "rite of festival opening".
• On the 2nd day, Tien Huong village fetches water from the well to "bathe" the statue, followed by a ceremony to pay respects.
• The 3rd day is marked by a grand ceremony, often officiated by high-ranking officials from Nam Dinh province or the royal court. Offerings typically include rice cakes, live pigs, sticky rice, wine, fruits,...
• On the 4th day, the main memorial service is held at the Van Cat temple. Officials from the district, province, and village, along with disciples and the people, participate in the solemn rituals.
• On the 5th day, there is a procession of the Holy Mother to the Dần Pagoda (Van Thap Temple) in Trung Thanh commune for Buddhist ceremonies before returning.
• On the 6th day, the Holy Mother is taken to the Goi Pagoda (Tien Son Temple), although recently, it is taken to the Bang Pagoda (Linh Son Temple).
• On the 7th, 8th, and 9th days, there is the "Pulling Letters" festival, also known as the flagpole flower festival, which is quite beautiful and unique compared to other festivals.

The traditional ceremonies are still preserved today

In addition, at the temples and mausoleums in the Phu Giay Complex, there are also many activities to practice the beliefs of the Vietnamese people to worship the Mother of the Three Palaces during the festival.

Many historical ideals, cultural convictions, and folklore of the Vietnamese people are included in the Phu Giay Festival. If you ever get the chance to travel to Vietnam, you should visit the provinces in the Northern Delta to learn more about this culture.