The Unique and Extraordinary “Duc But - Mat Scramble” Festival in Tam Duong Bac

On the morning of February 24 (the 8th day of the first lunar month), the Management Board of Ca Communal House in Phu Lien Village, Tam Duong Bac Commune, solemnly organized the “Duc But - Mat Scramble” Festival for the Spring of 2026.

The “But” (Buddha figures) are covered in mud and capped with sedge mats.

This festival is a long-standing folk cultural activity aimed at commemorating the process of recruiting righteous soldiers, gathering forces, and forging weapons by Princess Ngoc Kinh—a talented and courageous female general under the Trung Sisters. The festival also serves to honor traditional occupations and pray for bountiful harvests, wealth, and luck.

The most unique feature of the “Duc But” Festival is that each year, the Organizing Committee and villagers select three young men to play the roles of the “But” (Buddhas). After the initial rituals, these three individuals are strictly protected, taken to the village well for a ritual bath, and then covered in mud. Before completing the preparations to be presented to the Saint, the “But” are bathed again, brought back to the temple, and have sedge mats placed over their heads along with a bundle of young rice seedlings.

Locals excitedly participate in the “mat scramble” to pray for luck.

According to local belief, anyone who manages to grab a few strands of the sedge mat covering the “But,” or gets a bit of mud from the “But” on themselves during the scramble, will encounter great fortune. In particular, it is believed that whoever obtains a strand from the mat of the “But” sitting in the middle will be blessed with children. Consequently, scores of people enthusiastically join the “mat scramble” in hopes of receiving these blessings.

The “Duc But - Mat Scramble” Festival is a distinctive early spring event, attracting tens of thousands of visitors from near and far to attend and pray for luck.

Luu Truong