The summer ceremony mentioned in Gia Binh village

Ceremony of the people of Gia Binh village, Gio An commune - Photo: Tú Linh

The summer holiday mentioned this year was organized by Gia Binh village, both traditional and modern, to suit the situation of COVID-19 prevention and control. Gia Binh village has a history of about 5 centuries in the western region of Gio Linh district. In the process of fighting, building the country and developing the homeland together with other villages and communes, Gia Binh village always tries to preserve the traditional cultural values that are cultivated by his father. The New Year's ceremony is one of the ceremonies that Gia Binh villagers take very seriously. Every year, on December 25, Gia Binh village holds a tree-building ceremony. The villagers recounted that, in the years near the end of the 19th century, when he was serving as mandarin of the Nguyen Dynasty, many times when old Lam Hoang came to visit his hometown during Tet holiday, he was very happy to know that relatives, villagers always respect the ritual of building. and cut down trees on Tet occasion and encourage villagers to try to preserve the cultural traditions that their father has cultivated so hard, encourage their children and grandchildren to study hard, pass the exams, work to help the country. .

This New Year's Day 2021, the tree was erected by Gia Binh village on December 25 of the year of the Canh Ty at the village shrine. To have a tree, from the beginning of the year, the village owner chose a tall, straight bamboo tree at the bamboo wall next to the village communal house and told everyone that no one could intrude. On the morning of December 25, the village boss cut down the bamboo tree personally, the young people in the village carried the bamboo together to the village shrine - the site of the construction. Bamboo trees are usually taller than 5 m, decorated with many things above, usually there are flags with the words Phu - Tho - Khang - Ninh, meaning to wish for wealth, villagers live long, healthy. strong, peaceful. Ancient people thought that the tree was the cosmic axis, the pillar connecting heaven and earth, so it should be erected to welcome lucky things to families, a peaceful and blessed New Year community. Gia Binh villagers today also have the same view. In addition, the construction is also derived from the conception to eliminate demons, not to allow demons to disturb the family (because of the folk belief that on December 23, Mr. Cong Ong Tao went to heaven, no one kept the house) ; the community for a peaceful Tet holiday; wishes to send the bad, unlucky things of the old year out of the village. Since its construction, the villagers no longer produce in the fields, only focus on work related to Tet.

On the morning of January 7, in ao dai and turban, Village Chief Gia Binh Ngo Duc Thuan presided over the ceremony in front of the full presence of village dignitaries, councils, clan councils, as well as the villagers' children. The lower ceremony offering trays are displayed at the upper, middle and lower tables with offerings such as flower incense, lamp, five-fruit raspberry, raspberry, boiled rooster, roasted pig, betel nut, and votive. From early in the morning, after the drums sounded, people in the clans gathered at the village shrine to celebrate ceremonies and to offer incense. After about 30 minutes of holding the rituals, the tree is lowered, marking the end of the Tan Suu New Year holiday.

Village chief Ngo Duc Thuan said that the origin of the summer ceremony stems from the old Vietnamese custom of building a tree to say Tet holidays. According to that custom, from December 25 or the latest on the 30th of Tet, the village holds a ceremony to erect the tree. Folk beliefs say that, during the Lunar New Year, gods and ancestors come to celebrate Tet with their descendants, homeowners, and villagers. After the end of the Lunar New Year, the village held a summer ceremony to send the gods and ancestors back to the scene, so the bamboo tree was lowered. The tree-felling ceremony mentioned at the beginning of the year has the meaning of praying for a peaceful New Year, welcoming gods and fortune to families and communities is an important ritual in the traditional New Year.

After the summer ceremony, the villagers of Gia Binh gathered for cultural activities. Here, all folk games are performed by children of the village. The tray is served, with a glass of wine, a cup of tea at the beginning of the new year, stories about the tradition of fighting the enemy to preserve the country, preserving traditional culture, building up the fatherland of the father are told to their children by their uncles I sound like words of encouragement, education and encouragement for today's generation to live responsibly with their homeland and country. Just like that, the fun lasted January 7. The next day, everyone returned to their normal business and business. On the next New Year's Eve, the villagers performed this ritual together.

The Summer Ceremony is a fine customs of national identity with a good meaning, but up to now, many villages have not kept this custom. With Gia Binh village, in the past five centuries (except for the war years) villagers have always maintained this fine tradition with the solidarity, construction and development of clans such as Lam, Thieu, Vo, Ngo. , Nguyen, Tran ... together created the scent of Gia Binh village deep in the source circuit. The people of Gia Binh village are contributing day by day to build a culture imbued with national identity, which the summer ceremony is a typical example of preserving and promoting good customs of his father.

Tu Linh