Tran Temple Festival – A remider of finding way back to the root

Tran temple festival.Photo:Internet

(Cinet)-  One of such traditional major festivals in Nam Dinh on February is Tran Temple Festival.The festival was organized on the 14th night and 15th day of the first lunar month.

The unique cultural activities, especially the splendid and radiant atmosphere of “Dong A”, make Tran Temple Festival attractive totravellers everywhere.
Tran Temple in Nam Dinh is a famous destination, where kings of the Tran Dynasty and their mandarins are worshiped. The structure of this place has three main buildings, comprised of the Thien Truong Temple (Up Temple), Trung Hoa Temple (Center Temple), and Co Trach Temple (Down Temple).  Thien Truong Temple was established from the base of Trung Quang Palace in which the former King lived and worked.  
The first aisle of the temple has the altars and plaques of the Tran Dynasty’s mandarins. The other two aisles in the back are devoted to worshipping the Tran Kings and their ancestors, and the altars of their queens are located at the sides of the interior. Co Trach Temple is devoted to Tran Quoc Tuan, one of the most famous generals in the history of Vietnam, who had three epic victories for the Tran Dynasty against Mongol invaders.
His family and most reliable assistant are memorialized, along with many other mandarins such as Truong Han Sieu and Pham Thien Nhan.  Trung Hoa Temple is a new building built in 2000 by the local authorities. This temple is used to worship all fourteen Kings of the Tran Dynasty along with their most respected mandarins.
The expression lingered in the mind of the Viet people like a reminder of finding way back to the root as August and March came to join vivid festivals in memory of Father and Holy Mother, who founded and protected the supernatural land.
Over the last years, branches and departments, especially theculture-information sector in Nam Dinh, have paid attention to preserving and enhancing such cultural identities. Nam Dinh Province takes pride in its reference of “national root”, giving birth andnursing hearts and souls of “Mother” and “Father” of the people. On the occasion of the festival, people across the country are warmly welcome to the place by the local friendly and simple residents.
Tran Temple Festival will open at the Thien Truong Temple in Loc Vuong ward in the northern province of Nam Dinh. The seal opening ceremony, the main ritual of the festival, will take place on the 14th night of the first lunar month. Each year, people flock to the ceremony to pray for gook luck and happiness. The festival will be the water procession and fish worshipping rituals on the first day of the event, which honour fishing during the times of the Tran dynasty.
Guests will enjoy other activites during the Tran Temple Festival including lion dances, dragon dances, cheo (traditional opera) and chau van (spiritual) singing, human chess, wrestling and martial arts performances.