The Elephant festival at Dao Xa

The festival at Dao Xa Communal House (Dao Xa commune, Thanh Thuy district) with its distinctive feature of elephant processions is held annually on the 27th, 28th, and 29th days of the Lunar New Year, with the 28th being the main festival day. This place worships Hung Hai Cong, the 19th prince of Hung Vuong – who played a crucial role in reclaiming land, teaching people about agriculture, planting and harvesting crops, raising livestock, and constructing prosperous villages.

According to legend, during the nation-building period of Hung Vuong, Hung Hai was appointed by King Hung to govern the Tam Giang region (where three rivers meet: Da River, Red River, and Bua River) and married Mrs. Trang Hoa. After giving birth to three sons, namely Dat Cong Long Vuong, Man Cong Long Vuong, and Uyen Cong Long Vuong, Mrs. Trang Hoa transformed. Hung Hai stayed in this area to teach people about water management, agriculture, and to nurture and educate his children. When his sons grew up, he handed over this land to the three sons for administration, while he returned to live by the Nhị River (now part of Hai Duong province). In recognition of his contributions, King Hung awarded him two battle elephants as means of transportation. Since then, the people of Dao Xa have honored him as the Village Emperor, establishing a communal house to worship him and organizing traditional elephant processions annually.

The Dao Xa Communal House was built during the Le Dynasty in the 17th century. It consists of a five-compartment house with a grand southern-oriented architecture. Inside the communal house, the columns and rafters are intricately carved with various motifs such as dragons, phoenixes, lotus leaves, horseback riders, and kites. The roof is tiled with a unique double-layered structure resembling a crescent moon, and the communal house gate includes one main gate and two side gates, each with a large and a small copper column. On top of each column, there are delicately carved symbols representing the four mythical creatures and dragons. With its historical and cultural values, exquisite sculptural art, Dao Xa Communal House has been recognized as a National Historical Monument and is one of the oldest preserved communal houses in the province. It is also the place where President Ho Chi Minh visited and spoke with the people of Vinh Quang commune (now Dao Xa commune) 55 years ago.

The festival at Dao Xa Communal House is organized annually with various folk cultural activities. On the opening day, an elephant procession is conducted to bring offerings, the sacred lantern, and ritual prayers from the communal house to the temple. The main festival day on the 28th features religious ceremonies, elephant processions, and traditional folk games. Early in the morning, people from the eastern, western, southern, and northern parts of the communal house prepare high and beautiful offerings to present to the Village Emperor. The offerings include flowers, fruits, honey cakes, sticky rice, with prominent golden-skinned roosters crafted to resemble flying birds. These specially selected roosters are meticulously raised for ceremonial purposes. The village festival is also an occasion for residents to invite friends and family to celebrate, with many households preparing feasts even grander than the Tet holiday.

The elephant procession is considered the focal point of the Dao Xa festival and is commonly referred to as the Dao Xa Elephant Festival. The procession consists of over a hundred people, led by two large elephants, each controlled by two strong and healthy young men, with the elephants guided by an elephant caretaker and a commander. The procession follows a route from the communal house to the temple and then returns to the temple for the religious ceremony. Along the procession route, while the two “elephant lords” playfully interact with the festival-goers, a group of flag-bearers runs around the two palanquins, shouting and creating a lively atmosphere. After the procession returns to the temple, people and tourists alike offer incense to seek blessings for a prosperous harvest and good fortune in the new year. On the 29th, the elephant procession returns to bring back the sacred lantern, offerings, and royal edicts to the temple, awaiting the next festival season.

The festival program includes a vibrant fair with various traditional folk games. Depending on the year, a couple of games may change, such as rice pounding, tug-of-war, rice cooking competitions, tug-of-war, swing competitions, volleyball matches, cockfighting, chess, and many other traditional games. One particularly unique game is the rice cooking competition, where each team member is assigned different tasks, from pounding the rice, winnowing, sifting, to kindling a fire from wooden sticks and straw without using matches or lighters, only then can the rice be cooked. This activity attracts a large number of local people and tourists, creating a cheerful and exciting atmosphere during the early days of spring.

The Dao Xa Communal House festival holds deep cultural and historical significance, rooted in religious beliefs and commemorating the contributions of those who built the nation and villages, closely associated with the cultural space of worshiping Hung Vuong. It has been officially recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage.