Đền Du Yến Festival

The Du Yến Temple Festival took place in the Chí Tiên commune, Thanh Ba district. Situated on a hill about twenty meters higher than the surrounding fields, known as Bạch Hổ Hill, the temple overlooks the Red River in the front, leans against the horse saddle-shaped land connecting to Sơn Ngọc Hill, surrounded by lotus ponds. Adjacent to it are Bá Nang and Phượng Hoàng hills, creating a landscape resembling a dragon and a tiger. According to feng shui experts, this is considered the land of kings.

The Du Yến Temple, with its origins dating back to the early 1st century, might have started as a small shrine dedicated to Princess Ngọc Loan, a talented female general who assisted the Trưng Sisters in repelling invading forces. The temple was officially recognized as a national historical site in 1993. In 2003, the temple underwent restoration, including the construction of a 5-compartment frontal hall and a 3-compartment rear hall. Numerous precious artifacts such as wooden statues, ancestral altars, ceremonial palanquins, and ceremonial utensils were preserved within the temple.

According to the genealogy of the Nguyễn family, her real name was Nguyễn Thị Hạnh (also known as Hạnh Nương), born on the 15th day of the 2nd lunar month in the year 11 AD. During the Lê Dynasty, she was honored with the title “Quốc Mẫu Đại Vương” (National Mother Great Princess) by King Lê Cảnh Hưng, recorded in the national ceremony of the country. These four characters were inscribed in gold on the central horizontal lacquer board in the main worship hall. According to the “Ngọc Loan công chúa ngọc phả cổ lục” (Princess Ngọc Loan’s genealogy) compiled by the Đông các Hàn lâm viện university scholar Nguyễn Bính in October of the first Hồng Phúc year (1572), she was appointed as the “Trưởng lĩnh tiền quân” (Commander of the Vanguard). The people remembered her contributions, and a temple named Du Yến was established at Thao Giang.

Every year, the Du Yến Temple Festival includes several days of celebrations during the second and twelfth lunar months, with the main festive days being the 15th day of the first lunar month (Lunar New Year), the 15th day of the second lunar month (her birthday), and the 10th day of the first lunar month (her death anniversary). Among these, the 15th day of the first lunar month is considered the most elaborate. It is believed to be the day when Princess Ngọc Loan selected young men from Bổng Châu, gathered soldiers, held a feast to boost morale, worshipped heaven and earth, and led the army to meet the Trưng Sisters.

The Du Yến Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month includes both a ceremonial and a festive part. The most prominent aspect of the ceremonial part is the presence of the Fairy Dance team. Legend has it that on the day Mẫu (the Mother Goddess) was born, fairies descended to the Thao Giang strawberry field to dance and sing, so on the Mother’s Day, it is obligatory to have a fairy dance team consisting of girls aged 15 to 16, unmarried, performing beautiful dances like fairies to serve the ceremony. This ritual has been reconstructed and slightly adjusted to fit the festival space. Following this is the procession, beginning with the flag team, followed by the eight immortals, lion dance, fairy dance, and finally, the ceremonial procession.

The festival part consists of a distinctive cultural space with traditional folk games such as chess, tug of war, cockfighting, combined with cultural, artistic, and sports activities such as folk singing contests, rice cake pounding competitions, and various sports competitions.

The Du Yến Temple Festival is one of the most grandly organized festivals in Thanh Ba district. Every spring, the people of Chí Tiên commune, along with visitors from near and far, enthusiastically participate in the Du Yến Temple Festival, praying for favorable weather, peaceful families, and passing on the tradition of “remembering the source when drinking water” and the ethics of our ancestors.