Local residents gather in front of the Chèm Communal House to see dragon boats taking waters

The Chèm Temple is dedicated to Lý Thân, alias Lý Ông Trọng, a legendary figure during the reign of the Hùng Kings. A native of Chèm area, he was a tall man with unequalled physical strength. He used to stand by the poor and, for that reason, was guilty of murdering a cruel local notable. In deference to Lý Thân’s integrity, the Hùng King commuted his death sentence into exile to China as a tribute to China’s Emperor Qin Shihuang. The Chinese Emperor entrusted Lý Thân with the task of safeguarding the northern frontiers against the Huns invaders task which he fulfilled most successfully.

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 China. As an alibi, Vietnamese authorities told China that Lý Thân had died. But the Chinese Emperor demanded that Lý Thân’s corpse be sent to him. To avoid complications for his own King, Lý Thân committed suicide. The King had the body embalmed and sent to China. As the corpse remained intact, the Chinese Emperor could identity it as belonging really to Lý Thân, and thereupon had a big statue of Lý Thân made. The statue, with movable arms and legs, was put at the entrance of the Shen-Yang fortress as a deterrence against Huns invaders.

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 20^th 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”.