On March 10, speaking with Thanh Nien reporter, Mr. Le Xuan Nam, Chairman of Dong Hoang Commune People's Committee (Thanh Hoa City, Thanh Hoa Province), said that this commune has submitted a document to Thanh Hoa City People's Committee requesting consideration to propose to competent authorities to prepare a dossier to make Chuong market a national intangible cultural heritage.

PHOTO: MINH HAI

According to Mr. Nam, the proposal has been sent and is waiting for the competent authority to comment before the locality can take the next steps.

"The elders in the commune and neighboring areas do not know exactly when Chuong market was established, but for generations, every morning of January 6th, thousands of people from Dong Hoang commune and neighboring communes gather here to form a market. The most prominent and unique feature of the market is throwing tomatoes at each other for no reason, with the meaning of praying for good luck in the new year," said Mr. Nam.

PHOTO: MINH HAI

Chuong Market is held by local people on the 6th of January every year. The market is held on an empty land along the Hoang River, in Giang village (Dong Hoang commune) - an area bordering Trieu Son and Thieu Hoa districts.

The information about Chuong market proposed to be included in the list of national intangible heritage has attracted the attention of the people, because this is a unique market in Thanh Hoa province, and unique nationwide. In the past, according to the people's concept, people going to Chuong market had to fight to pray for luck, and the bigger the fight, the more luck. Nowadays, instead of "fighting for luck", people going to the market throw ripe tomatoes at each other.

The market also has activities of buying and selling, praying for good luck in the spring. The items sold at the market are mainly agricultural products typical of rural areas such as: vegetables, fruits, chicken, duck and traditional rustic dishes such as rice rolls, rice paper, popcorn, honey candy...

PHOTO: MINH HAI

Legend has it that on January 6, a general of the Lam Son army and several hundred soldiers were besieged by the Ming invaders in Dong Hoang village (the old name). The general discussed with the village elders and mobilized the people around the area to organize a market to fool the invaders. Weapons were hidden in baskets of cakes and gifts, and soldiers were disguised as civilians to blend in with the people in the market.

When the Ming army arrived, they thought it was just a normal village market, so they lost their guard. At this time, the general suddenly gave the order, the militia in the market attacked together, making the enemy unable to react and had to flee.

That year, people in the area had good weather and good business... To commemorate the victory and also to "pray for luck", every year on the 6th of January, people around the area gather at the Hoang River wharf to hold a market...