04/11/2024 | 15:09

TPO - On April 11 (ie March 3 of the lunar calendar), within the framework of the Tran Vu Temple Festival 2024 in Thach Ban ward, Long Bien district (Hanoi), the "sitting tug of war" ritual took place with the participation of young men from Man Duong, Man Dia and Man Cho villages... Thousands of people and tourists excitedly cheered for the teams in the practice of the cultural heritage recognized by UNESCO.

Unique sitting tug of war: Unique intangible cultural heritage at Tran Vu Temple Festival.

Tran Vu Temple Festival (Long Bien District, Hanoi) takes place from March 1st to March 4th of the lunar calendar every year. The main festival takes place on March 3rd of the lunar calendar - the birthday of Saint Huyen Thien Tran Vu.

The festival recalls ancient legends about Duc Thanh, the god who destroys demons, protects the people, keeps peace for all people and all things, and is also the god who controls water and prevents floods in the spiritual beliefs of the people.

Sitting tug of war is a unique cultural value of the traditional festival of Tran Vu temple and is a long-standing social and religious custom in the festival of Cu Linh village - Thach Ban commune, Gia Lam district - now Ngoc Tri cluster, Thach Ban ward, Long Bien district. The sitting tug of war ritual has 3 teams participating: Cho side, Duong side and Dia side.

The unique point of this ritual is that the participating teams sit on the ground to pull, the tug of war sit with legs bent and legs stretched out and sit alternately, one facing one side, the other on the other side of the rope.

After the signal is given by whistle or loudspeaker, the wedges are removed and the flag bearer runs up and down. The two teams try to pull towards their side to win.

Through tug-of-war games and rituals, people pray for favorable weather and bountiful crops.

Nguyen Trong Tai