Hoang Cong Chat Temple Festival
In 1739, Hoang Cong Chat raised the flag of rebellion in the Son Nam region, creating an equally difficult threat to the Le-Trinh court. In 1748, he temporarily took refuge in the upper reaches of Thanh Hoa because the force gap was too great, then he moved to operate in the upper reaches of Laos. At the same time, Hoang Cong Chat once combined the insurgent army with two Muong Thanh leaders, Lo Van Ngai and Lo Van Khanh, to fight against the Phe invaders - a Tay-Thai ethnic group in Upper Laos. As a result, he brought a peaceful and prosperous life to the people of Muong Thanh.
After the celebration of that glorious victory, in 1758, Hoang Cong Chat stood up to lead the people, promoting and encouraging them to increase stable production, building a strong force to create the city of Ban. Phu. At the same time, Muong Thanh also became the cultural and political center of the Northwest region due to the promotion of activities in all 10 An Tay prefectures of the insurgent army and the right to control land in this place was also completely gained. From then on, Hoang Cong Chat became a hero with great merit in spreading knowledge and techniques of farming and animal husbandry. He is not only the thread that binds the community solidarity of the nations but also the Saint of the people's hearts.
On February 25, 1767, Hoang Cong Chat passed away. Muong Thanh people built a temple to worship him along with six generals in the Ban Phu citadel area. On May 5 every year, also known as the day of victory over the Phe enemy, people of all ethnic groups hold festivals together at the temple, worshiping "Then Chat" and 6 generals. As one of the founders of Muong village along with Lang Chuong, Khun Mun..., Thai people also worship Hoang Cong Chat. Later, the festival began to be held on February 24 - 28, with the main festival day being the 25th to be consistent with the customs and traditions of the Thai people and at the same time as the Xen festival. Muong of Thai people in Muong Thanh. In recent years, the Hoang Cong Chat temple festival has been held annually on two scales: district-level with even years, and also one of the major holiday celebration activities of Dien Bien province large-scale. commune-level models with odd years.
People will begin the process of preparing offerings before the festival, the female priesthood team and the drum team practice offerings, people clean the festival area, and the temple custodians do the work bao sai (statue bathing) ceremony.
Taking place in the space of Ban Phu citadel and Hoang Cong Chat temple, the starting reporting ceremony was performed by the temple caretaker, inviting the gods, Mr. Hoang Cong Chat and the generals and insurgents to return. enjoy the ceremony, praying for blessings from them so that the ceremony can take place successfully.
The palanquin procession was organized by people on the morning of the 24th, starting from the gate of Noong Het Commune High School, passing through Ban Phu market, residential areas and gathering at Ban Phu citadel. There is a Thai woman carrying the festival flag leading the group, followed by the festival drummer, dragon dance team, 16 young men with brown shirts, yellow belts, conical hats and swords on their heads, symbolizing the the appearance of insurgents. At Hoang Cong Chat temple, 16 young men will recreate the image of sword and spear dancing of the insurgents at that time, followed by the dragon dance and the solemn performance of the death anniversary reading ceremony. . In addition, there were also 2 women wearing ao dai carrying a ceremony tray and a palanquin carrying sacred relics along with the appearance of a large number of people from all ethnic groups in traditional costumes participating in the festival.
Fun activities are also held in parallel with the ceremony, attracting a large number of participants such as shuttlecock throwing, tug of war, crossbow shooting, stick pushing, folk singing, and Xoe dancing.
It is a catalyst for the solidarity of peoples, a time when all people in the Northwest have the opportunity to review together the heroic fighting tradition of righteous heroes and countless ancestors. The effort spent is a burning fire fueled by a vast and great patriotism. The Hoang Cong Temple Festival has conveyed countless dreams and aspirations for a peaceful life. peaceful and prosperous, imbued with the belief of worshiping him according to Thai customs (worshiping Chau muong in Muong Thanh village) and the ritual of worshiping the village tutelary deity.
With those special values, according to Decision No. 1877/QD-BVHTTDL dated June 8, 2015, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism included the Hoang Cong Chat temple festival in the List of non-cultural heritage national object.