(Cinet)- Speaking about the royal worshipping ceremony, it is impossible not to mention the Xa Tac Devotion Ritual that was ranked in the list of the most important among national worshipping ceremonies by the Nguyen Kings.
As explained by our ancestors, the Xa Tac Altar was built to worship the two genies of wet rice cultivation; rice and soil (Xa means soil and Tac means rice).
In the past, our national economy mainly depended on agriculture so all the kings paid much attention to the development of agriculture.
As a result, the Vietnamese kings used to build the Xa Tac Altar to worship the Soil and Rice Genies and to pray for abundant crops as well as powerful country and rich people.
The Xa Tac Ritual was held differently during each reign. However, in the feudal Nguyen Dynasty, Xa Tac Ritual was held regularly on a larger scale.
The ceremony was held twice in the year, in Autumn and Spring by the court. In order to prepare for the ceremony, the Ministry of Rites and Interior was sent to the Xa Tac Altar to prepare offerings, worshipping objects and the incense-table.
On the main day of the ceremony, the two sides of the path from the Ngo Mon Gate to the Altar were decorated splendidly with flags and torches.
On the incense-table, apart from often-seen worshipping equipage and objects, there was a three-animal offering, including a buffalo, deer and pig.
Beside heightening awareness of local resident for the significance of the ceremony, the authority of Hue City preserved the national religious heritage and set up a file to submit to UNESCO for being recognized as an intangible cultural heritage of mankind.
Ngoc Anh
- Speaking about the royal worshipping ceremony, it is impossible not to mention the Xa Tac Devotion Ritual that was ranked in the list of the most important among national worshipping ceremonies by the Nguyen Kings.)
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