Tien Cong Festival - The Unique Procession Festival in Ha Nam, Quang Ninh

1 An Overview of the Tien Cong Festival

1.1 When the Tien Cong Festival Is Held

The Tien Cong Festival, also known as the “Procession of the Living” Festival, is a unique celebration that local residents continue to hold on a large scale in Quang Yen Ward. It takes place from the 5th to the 7th day of the first lunar month to commemorate the Tien Cong, who explored and reclaimed the land, establishing the prosperous Ha Nam Island in what was formerly Quang Yen Town.

1.2 The Legend of the Tien Cong Festival

According to a local legend passed down through generations, Ha Nam Island was reclaimed by several groups of Tien Cong and residents who came from the capital, Thang Long. Together, they built dikes and reclaimed land from the sea. Each spring, the Tien Cong—the first people to explore and develop Ha Nam Island—would reminisce about the lively, grand festivities they had enjoyed in the capital. They therefore invited the most respected village elders to secretly dress like the king, then sit in red palanquins and dragon-carved sedan chairs for a ceremonial procession to the temple. They also prepared offerings just like those used at festivals in the capital. These activities were modeled on royal court ceremonies, complete with ceremonial parasols, traditional eight-instrument ensembles, singing, and more, giving rise to the island's unique “Procession of the Living” festival.

Another account, based on historical records, says that during the Ly and Tran dynasties, some fishing families settled in what is now Quang Yen. They chose to live near elevated mounds above the high-tide line, where they could fish and dry their nets. Around the early 15th century, between 1434 and 1500, six groups of Tien Cong and local residents began building dikes and reclaiming land from the sea. They cleared the land to grow rice and establish villages, gradually forming the Ha Nam Island area. Among them were 17 Tien Cong from Kim Hoa Ward (now Kim Lien Ward), in Tho Xuong District, Hoai Duc Prefecture, south of the capital Thang Long. In later generations, people built a temple to the 17 Tien Cong in Cam La Village to honor those who had helped create this region.

1.3 Where Is the Tien Cong Festival Held?

Today, the Tien Cong Festival is held at the Temple of the Nineteen Tien Cong in Cam La Commune. Locals also know it by several other names, including the Tien Cong Temple Festival, the La Temple Festival, and the Festival of the Nineteen Tien Cong. Today, people in Quang Yen generally call it the Tien Cong Festival, which has become its official name. The festival is now shared by four communes: Cam La, Trung Ban, Phong Coc, and Yen Dong. So, if you hear it called the Tien Cong Festival of the Four Communes, it refers to the same event. The festival is still held every year to preserve the traditions of previous generations and create an appealing highlight for spiritual tourism in Quang Ninh.

2 Fascinating Rituals Held as Part of the Tien Cong Festival

2.1 Preparations

The festival is held on the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th days of the first lunar month, but preparations begin in the final month of the previous lunar year. Men and women approaching the ages of 80 or 90 inform their relatives so they can be invited to the longevity celebration held during the festival. On the evening of the 3rd day of the first lunar month, family heads gather to report to their ancestral altar the names of elders about to reach a milestone age.

2.2 Festival Rituals

The Tien Cong Festival begins on the 4th day with the “Family Ancestral Feast,” also known as the “Ancestor Worship Ceremony,” organized by the descendants of the Tien Cong families. This is the largest ceremony and takes place at the family ancestral hall. On this day, families with elders reaching a milestone age prepare offerings to give thanks to the Tien Cong and their ancestors for blessing the elders with long lives. The ceremony also informs the extended family which elders will be honored that year and invites relatives to attend the longevity celebration. 

On the 5th day of the first lunar month, families with an elder reaching a milestone age prepare their homes according to the traditional customs for a longevity celebration. Most importantly, they prepare the elders' attire, including brocade robes, scarves embroidered with the character for longevity, and walking sticks for their parents. They also arrange tables and chairs and prepare a feast for guests, turning the occasion into a family reunion.

On the 6th day of the first lunar month, families that do not organize a procession carrying their elder to the Tien Cong Temple to pay respects to the ancestors instead form a group to accompany the elder there. Families with greater means join with their extended family and neighbors to organize a grand procession in a red palanquin to the temple to pay their respects. This ritual is known as the “Longevity Procession” or the “Procession of the Living.”

The Tien Cong Festival is at its busiest and most vibrant on the main festival day, the 7th, when the unique “Procession of the Living” takes place—a ritual found only in Quang Ninh. It expresses reverence for and honors the Tien Cong, while reflecting the tradition of honoring virtuous elders who are believed to have been blessed by heaven and earth with long, healthy lives.

Along with its unique rituals, the festival features a wide range of cultural and recreational activities, including folk games such as swinging, cockfighting, human chess, team card games, duet singing, wrestling, and dike building. Two activities that also serve as opening rituals are the elders' dike-building ceremony and wrestling. 

In the past, after the elders had completed the Tien Cong rites, the village would invite two healthy elders to represent the community in a dike-building ritual. Villagers prepared a small symbolic dike and neatly shaped square clods of earth for the two elders to stack into the dike. Only after this ritual could the villages dig larger canals and reinforce their dikes in preparation for the planting season. According to old customs, if someone died during Tet, the family had to wait until the village had completed this ground-breaking ceremony before holding the funeral and digging a grave. If a family deliberately broke this rule and anything unfortunate happened in the village that year, the wider community would fine them, believing they had brought bad luck upon the entire village.

After the ground-breaking ceremony, the elders continue with a wrestling ritual. Although it is called a wrestling match, the elders only make a few gentle movements and circle one another a few times. The stronger elder wins by lifting the other off the ground, bringing the ritual to an end. Both the dike-building and wrestling ceremonies serve as reminders to younger generations to stay fit and keep building dikes and irrigation systems to ensure bountiful harvests, withstand storms, and protect people, villages, and ancestral halls. At noon on the main festival day, the 7th, a representative ceremonial procession from the Four Communes holds the “Closing Ceremony” and declares the festival over.

When you visit Quang Ninh, you will have the chance to take part in festivals featuring a rich variety of rituals and showcasing the country's distinctive cultural identity. In addition to the Tien Cong Festival, you can also explore other celebrations, such as the Bach Dang Festival, Long Tien Pagoda Festival, and Cua Ong Temple Festival. Have a wonderful trip filled with memorable experiences!