Celebrating the elephant procession festival at Dao Xa commune, Thanh Thuy district

On March 8 (January 28), Dao Xa commune in Thanh Thuy district held the annual Elephant Procession Festival to remember and honor the contributions of those who established and protected the country.

Thanh Thuy district leaders attended the incense offering ritual at Dao Xa communal house

Dao Xa communal house, a historic place established during the era of King Le Gia Tong (1674 - 1675), now worships Hung Hai Cong, who was appointed by King Hung to administer the Tam Giang area - the junction of three rivers: Da, Thao and Bua.

The Thanh Thuy district leaders kicked off the festivities.

Hung Hai Cong has been married to Princess Trang Hoa for a long time but does not have any children. During a spring journey from Tho Van to Dao Xa, the two of them built a home to stay in for one night. Mrs. Trang Hoa went on to have three boys. Mrs. Trang Hoa died shortly after giving birth to her children, Hung Hai Cong raise his sons up by himself.

Delegates and citizens expressed thanks to people who founded and protected the country.

A pair of huge elephants lead the parade.

Drums, gongs, and parasols were used to accompany the dragon throne procession.

King Hung presented him with two war elephants in recognition of his significant efforts to teaching people about farming, animal husbandry, and the construction of affluent communities. Before departing to protect the Nhi River region (in present-day Hai Duong province), Hung Hai Cong delegated authority over the Tam Giang region to his three children, brought a pair of elephants to Dao Xa to pay their respects three times, and bid farewell.

The palanquin procession squad is composed of healthy young individuals from nice and peaceful households.

Grateful for his contributions, the people constructed a temple to commemorate him as god of village. Every year, in the spring, the villagers hold an elephant procession festival for three days from January 27 to 29 (the 28th being the main festival), with customs, rituals, and folk performances to commemorate and thank Saint Hung Hai Cong, which has become a major festival in the region.

A significant number of locals came to visit the celebration.

This year’s Dao Xa communal house Traditional Festival includes a ceremony with preserved traditional rituals, such as a procession of elephants, incense offering as well as a festival with many unique folk games such as tug of war, robbing chickens, fetching water, pounding rice, pulling fire to cook rice...

The elephant procession at Dao Xa communal home includes competitions for pounding rice and pulling fire to blow rice.

Dao Xa Communal House received a National Historical and Cultural Relic Certificate in 1990, and the Dao Xa Communal House Traditional Festival was designated as an Intangible Cultural Heritage at the national level in November 2016.

Thuy Trang