Xu Lady Festival
Sam Mountain, according to geographers, is about
4,000 square meters large and 237 meters high, lies precariously amid That
Son region.
Several pagodas, shrines gather here such as Xu Lady
shrine, Tay An pagoda, Thoai Ngoc Hau royal tomb etc. creating an original
architectural space which is both mystical and superb. There are a lot of
public legends about Xu Lady. For instance, when carrying her statue down the
mountain, hundreds of young men could not do that, but just nine virginal girls
do, the stone statue was carried easily. To the foot of the mountain, the stone
statue was suddenly too weighty to move. It was believed that she chose this
place to rest, thus, they constructed a shrine for her here. Another legend
told that her statue was brought from the foreign country by Thoai Ngoc Hau and
put inside the shrine for worshipping. This is a sophisticated carved stone
statue. It appeared in the sixth or the seventh century. Main rites in this
festival are organized during three days 24th, 25th and
26th of the 4th lunar month with the washing ceremony at
the beginning implemented at 12p.m of the 24th. Hundreds of women
knee full of the shrine with a white lily on each person's hand. The statue is
covered by a cloth. There are two women chosen from these hundreds of people as
to wash and change her clothes. The water used to wash her is a special kind
which is mixed with cinnamon and perfume. After washing, the water is mixed
into two other drink tanks so that distribute travelers. It is expected that
drinking this, everybody will get healthy next year. Her clothes are cut into
pieces also to issue pilgrims like a talisman which is able to kill devils and
help people get healthy. On the 25th, the procession of nomination
is fulfilled solemnly from Thoai Ngoc Hau Royal tomb to her shrine. On the 26th,
the ceremony of praying for happy and peace is held during the festival,
several traditional games such as singing, art of fighting also take place.
Formerly, under the period of America - puppet
government, there was a popular superstition. That was the habit of lending
money from Xu Lady. It was believed that lending her money made their business
luckier. Therefore, traveler who is lent this year will pay back next year on
the same day and will be lent again. This belief was so blind that almost of
them did it voluntarily.
Since the emancipated day (the 30th, April, 1975),
Xu Lady Festival has changed a lot. Several superstitious evils have been ruled
out. Negative respects in rites of sacrifice have been limited or changed.
Thus, the festival has really become a cultural traditional one of value of
people here.
Along with the Ba Chua Xu Pagoda festival, visitors
to An Giang province can also visit traditional cultural festivals such as (1)
the Dolta of the Khmer - a festival worshiping ancestors taking place from the
first to the 15th day of the 10th lunar month; (2) a cow racing festival in Tri
Ton, Tinh Bien in the 10th lunar month; (3) the Ramadan festival of the Cham
people in the fifth lunar month; celebrities' death anniversaries, and more. So
far, the Ba Chua Xu Pagoda festival has remained the most popular with
visitors.
