| Description |
The Minh thệ Oath-taking Festival (also known as the Minh Thề Festival) in Hoa Lieu village has existed for more than 500 years, and is an opportunity for people to commemorate the merits of the Empress Dowager Vũ Ngọc Toàn, who founded Lan Hiểu hamlet (today's Hoa Lieu hamlet) and review the content of the "Hịch Văn Hội Minh Thề" (oath). The festival takes place at the Hoa Lieu Temple - Pagoda Historical and Cultural Relic Site (Hoa Lieu hamlet, Thuan Thien commune, Kien Thuy district), Hai Phong city on January 14-16 every year.
According to history, this ritual dates back to the Mac Dynasty, in 1561, Empress Dowager Vu Thi Ngoc Toan (wife of the Supreme Emperor Mac Dang Dung) founded Lan Nieu hamlet (now Hoa Lieu village, Thuan Thien commune). She donated to renovate the ancient Thien Phuc Tu pagoda (now Hoa Lieu pagoda). After the renovation, with the remaining donated funds, she bought more than 47 hectares of rice fields to divide among the farmers and make public land. The village called this field “Holy Field”. To prevent selfish interests, the Queen Mother and the villagers established the Proclamation of the Minh The Oath with an oath to take public property as the most important and not to encroach on public property. The Minh The Oath Festival was born from that time and has been passed down to this day. In the 19th century, the Nguyen Dynasty decreed the four golden words “My tuc kha phong” for the Minh The Oath Festival. In 1993, the Hoa Lieu temple complex was recognized as a national historical site, and the Minh The Oath Festival was restored.
On the main day of the festival, the villagers set up an oath platform in front of the Hoa Lieu pagoda. The altar was solemnly arranged, with the highlight being the mandarin’s hat placed solemnly on the front of the altar. During the ceremony, the celebrant used a knife to perform the gesture of “pointing to the sky and drawing the ground” (“thiết linh trích địa”) in a large circle with a diameter of about 2 mét in the middle of the temple yard, called the The Oath Platform. The celebrant sticks a knife in the middle of the circle to show his determination to fulfill the oath. After that, the village officials and elders perform the incense offering ceremony to pray to heaven, earth, and the gods. After the rituals: offering incense, flowers, wine, and water to the gods, the celebrant stands in front of the oath platform and reads the Proclamation of the Oath. The content of the oath is that people must be upright, use public property for public purposes, and if they are greedy for private purposes, they will be punished. After the reading and oath-taking part, the ritual of cutting the chicken's throat and drinking "Kim Ke Huyet Tuu" takes place according to tradition. Everyone in the village drinks the oath wine (rooster's blood mixed with white wine) to wish for good luck and a clear conscience and participates in activities: tug of war, chess, rowing, cockfighting, etc.
The Minh The Festival not only has historical and cultural value, but also contributes to educating the tradition of patriotism, ethics, lifestyle, village love, and neighborliness for generations of local people. In 2017, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognized the Minh thệ Oath-taking Festival as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. |
