Chèm Festival
VGP - The Chèm Communal House, 12km from Hà Nội, is located in Thụy Phương Village, near the southern end of Thăng Long Bridge. The village is part of Từ Liêm District, a suburban area of Hà Nội. The temple turns its back on one of the dykes, and overlooks the Red River.
The
Local
residents gather in front of the Chèm Communal House to see dragon boats taking
waters
His feat of
arms was duly rewarded by the Emperor who gave him the hand of one of his
princesses. As he grew old, Lý Thân requested a home leave and thereafter no
longer returned to
In
admiration for Lý Thân, the local villagers built a temple in his honor. Them
temple was reportedly built during the third period of Chinese rule over
Vietnamese (603-939 AD), but its present features dated from a major renovation
at the beginning of the 20th century. The temple is not large but it
is an old piece of architecture, with many sculpted figures. It contains, among
other things, two glided wooden statues of Lý Thân and his wife, made in 1888.
In
remembrance of the hero, Thụy Phương Village and two others, Liên Mạc and Hoàng
Mạc, jointly organize an annual festival from May 14 to May 16 (lunar year),
May 14 is the pre-festival day, and May 15 the remain day.
Old villagers preparing votive waters at the Chèm Festival |
The
festival comprises a number of rituals such as general ceremony (tế), water procession, procession of the
funeral oration, procession of the cult implements, ceremony on bathing the
statues, and a ceremony in honor of Buddha, etc.
The water
procession takes place early in the morning of May 15. This is a major ceremony
designed to obtain water for bathing to the statues. The participants, in colorful
things, carry offerings and assemble at a place, 3 km from the communal house,
where they embark on 3 big boats decorated with dragon sculptures. The boats go
downstream until they reach the entrance of the Chèm Communal House. Then, they
start the rituals on obtaining water. The three boats must uniformly turn round
3 times, and when such movements are being carried out, three persons standing
on their respective boats must timely use dippers to take water from the river,
pour it into the jar and purify it with alum. The whole operation must be
completed by the end of the third “turn-around” of the boats. The operation is
marked with drum and gong beats and, in particular, bu shouts “U oe, u oe” which reverberate on both
banks of the river. According to the village elders, the shouts “U oe” are associated with a legend about
Lý Thân: The statue of Lý Thân, as made on the orders of the Chinese Emperor
and put at the entrance of Shen-Yang Fortress, was so big that 10 persons could
be sheltered in it. When the Huns invaders came, these men hidden inside the
statue would shout “U oe” and this
struck fear into the invaders and would make them withdraw.
The
procession of the funeral oration takes place in the evening. The oration is
carried on a royal palanquin from the house of the chief preserver to the communal
house, with rituals similar to the procession of cult implements.
The road
where the procession passes through is provided on both sides with neatly
arranged small incense burners which add to the solemnity of the occasion.
Releasing doves at the Chèm Festival |
The
procession is followed by a grand ceremony at the communal house, which is
performed by 12 persons clad in long blue dresses, wearing hats and belts of
Court Officials. After duly washing hands, two of them carry food, drinks and
lighted candles into the back chamber, while the whole group comes in, marching
through two lines of old villagers who hold and turn round blue and rose
pennons.
At last,
the leader of the ceremony reads the funeral oration amidst a deep silence and
the fragrance of burning incense sticks and santal wood. Among other things,
the oration says:
“Your fame
as hero resounds throughout North and South
Your talent
is all-sided, political and military, and your posture most dignified
Your
ethical behavior toward our nation is above blame”.