Nghia Son Temple Festival - Festival of the people, by the people and for the people
Talking about the spiritual culture of the Vietnamese people, it is impossible not to mention the sacred ancient temples with quiet features, expressing the gratitude of the ancients. Among the famous temples of Long Xa homeland in particular - Hung Nguyen in general, we cannot fail to mention Nghia Son Temple - A historical relic that vividly represents the unique cultural and historical values.
Nghia Son Temple - The temple's name is named after the place name of Nghia Son village - a village on the banks of the Lam River that lives by river craft. With the concept of "Things are living beings", "The land has Tho Cong, the river has Ha Ba", the temple was built by Van Con aquatic residents in the early 19th century associated with the belief of worshiping Tam Phu council in which worship is the Thuy Phu stream. The temple worships the characters Lieu Nghi Dai Vuong, Lady Thuy Tinh, Thuy Phu Phu Tang... the gods who, according to people's conception, have always inspired to protect and help people in the village. Belief Thuy Phu worship has left many imprints in the economic and spiritual life of river dwellers, living by fishing, including the inhabitants of Nghia Son village.
The temple was built on a sacred land in hamlet 16, Hung Long commune, now Thanh Son hamlet, Long Xa commune, Hung Nguyen district, Nghe An province. . The temple is located on an area of ​​more than 654.4 square meters. This is a location with beautiful landscape, airy, with the land "Tien Chu tuoc, post Huyen Vu, left dragon, right white tiger" has brought a lot of luck and blessings to the people in the village. The temple faces the gentle Lam River, the clear blue water is pouring down to the sea day and night. Around the temple are the houses of peaceful Nghia Son residents, next to the green four-season corn and rice fields.
The historical site of Nghia Son temple was built in the 19th century and has a J-shaped layout. From the outside to the inside, the temple structure is arranged as follows: Temple Gate, Nghi Mon, Temple Courtyard, Bai Duong, and Harem.
The temple has only one court, but worships three palaces and is arranged to worship vertically and in order from the inside out. The top palace is the Upper Palace, which is the place to worship Tam Phu and Princess Thuy Tinh. Next is the Central Palace to worship Saint Duc Thanh Hoang Lieu Nghi Dai Vuong. The last palace is the Lower Palace, where the gods and martyrs of the homeland are worshiped. This is also the structure that distinguishes Nghia Son Temple from other temples. According to the elders of Nghia Son village, there used to be three temples arranged horizontally like other temples, but due to the flood, on September 14, 1889, the temple was washed away. However, the people here still retain the mascots of the temple and in the 20s of the 20th century the temple was restored. However, due to conditions, people built and arranged this vertical worshiping architecture.
Architecturally, the temple was built with traditional materials based on the motif of traditional knowledge. The carvings of the four spirits and four precious stones are elaborately carved, the details of dragons, unicorns, turtles and phoenixes are carved on the altar with embossed and carved techniques, creating delicate lines. dynamic, full of charm, showing the sculptural talent, reflecting the creative thinking, the talent of the artisans of Nghe An. Therefore, even though it has just been restored, Nghia Son Temple still has the ancient and majestic features of a spiritual and cultural work.
At present, in the temple, many ancient documents and artifacts such as dragon palanquin, long communal palanquin, penguin palanquin, Ngu Huong, Long throne hammock, ancient palanquin, Truong Mao tien, ancient couplets at the relic, are still preserved in the temple. with tablets, incense, great characters ... with carved arrays have shown aesthetic ideas, creative styles of an era. In particular, this is the only temple along the Lam River that still preserves 19 ordinations of the Chinese characters for the characters worshiped here of the kings of the Nguyen Dynasty. These artifacts must be treasured and preserved so that descendants can admire the talent of their ancestors.
The historical site of Nghia Son Temple is not only a work containing high aesthetic and scientific value but also the pride of the people in the region because of its enormous historical values.
Learning about the monument, we understand more about the process of forming Nghia Son village from the past to the present, it is a floating village of residents living by fishing. We also understand more about the history of the formation and development of the belief. worshiping Tam Phu, an indigenous belief of the Vietnamese people, especially the water palace line associated with the spiritual life of the inhabitants of Nghia Son village.
Nghia Son Temple is also a place associated with many historical events in the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement and the two resistance wars against the French colonialists and the American empire. During the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement, the temple was the gathering place for the people in the village to participate in the September 12, 1930 demonstration, and also in this protest, five children of Nghia Son village had heroically sacrificed themselves. This hero has been immortalized in the history books. In particular, during the anti-American era, Nghia Son Temple was a shelter for soldiers before boarding the boat