Dong Ky Village Festival
Dong Ky village is located in Tien Son district, Bac
Ninh - a village has still preserved several historical and cultural relics.
Its annual festival is organized from the 4th to the 6th of the first lunar
month in memory of tutelary god's great merit - who was nominated Thien Cuong
De. The tutelary spirit is the person who is of both high position and exploit
in teaching the handicraft to the whole area on which basing people's lives
here have been being improved better and better. Thus, he is specially
respected one of employments he taught everybody is making crackers. This job
itself is the one forming the well known festival - the competition of making
and burning crackers. Formerly, during the festival, Dong Ky village's
people used to carry genitals, organized emulations how to raise pigs, chickens
well and implemented army parades in order to recall the time when the tutelary
god also a general led army forces to fight against enemies. It is believed
that, exploding of cracker stands for strength and martial spirit which is
possible to exterminate harmful and cruel forces. The more exploded crackers
are, the better representing an endless power could bring harmonious weather
assisting crops, harvests to be better and people have a prosperous life.
Crackers made from Dong Ky village meet demands of
people everywhere on the occasions of Tet - periods, festivals, celebrations...
In the competition of crackers, there are huge crackers which are 10 meters
long and two meters in diameter with images of dragons, phoenixes, clouds and
other traditional designs splendidly embellished.
This kind of cracker is solemnly put inside a
sophisticate decorated carriage pulled from hamlets to the ground of the
central square by strong boys and beautiful girls in national costumes. After
the magic cracker is made sacrifice to the God, an elderly authority wearing a
red belt will beat the drum three times announcing that the competition starts.
A good cracker must be of loud-prolonged-edged explosion and its body burst
into brilliant colored red petals. The more explosion thunders and lights, the
more bumper crops are likely next year. People carry the magic cracker before
hand and carry the sedan chair of tutelary god followed. The procession of
sedan chair always attracts the attention of everyone in the festival. The
sedan chair is ornamented magnificent with skilful designs carved by
entertainers in the village. The god's statue in the sedan chair is sculptured
from red lacquer trimmed with gold timber. It is respectively carried by twelve
virginal boys and twelve virginal girls followed by octet playing
characteristic tunes. Next are groups of singing and dancing of young people.
They sing and dance in sudden inspiration praising the beauty of life. The
festival is also made more plentifully by several games such as cock fighting,
lion dancing, wrestling, swinging, human chess, boat races etc. In human chess,
pretty girls in speeral costumes play the roles of chessmen. Bordering villages
are also invited to take part in. They sing together during the festival on
green grasses full of cracker body or in romantic-flowered boats. Dong Ky
village's festival is held not only for displaying or demonstrating its
handicrafts but also for praising spring, friendly relations... so it
captivates a lot of participants. People from other places usually come to see
this festival and they are greeted and treated to many dishes made by Dong Ky
people such as "banh day, banh gio" (rice - pie) etc.
