Persistently maintain village festival

The traditional festival of Chien Dan communal house attracts a large number of people to participate.

The people of this land still pass on the old saying: "first La Qua, second Thanh My, third Chien Dan" to talk about the scale of the oldest communal houses in Quang Nam. After the changes of the times, only Chien Dan communal house remains intact with the pride of the local people. This is also the oldest communal house in Quang Nam that is still intact.

One hundred years under the village communal house roof

The 14th day of the 7th lunar month every year is a special time for the people of the old Ha Dong region. Considered the cultural cradle of the old Tam Ky region, the ancient Chien Dan communal house and its annual traditional festival not only carry the concept of traditional living rituals. There, the voice of the community and the story of preserving the traditional identity of the Vietnamese countryside are revealed.

The scent of incense sticks wafts along with the sound of wooden fish. Quietly behind the main hall, as if pained by the 500-odd-year journey of the village communal house, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Khoi - the Executive Committee of Chien Dan village communal house said that from the incense offering ceremony, the worship of ancestors, and the memorial service for the pioneers, all are to remind descendants of their village roots, keeping in the heart of every Vietnamese the flame of origin.

History has placed Chien Dan communal house at the center of the historical memory axis of the formation of Quang Nam. Documents from the Chien Dan communal house management board recorded that Chien Dan used to belong to Ha Dong district, Thang Hoa prefecture, with a long history closely linked to the development history of Chien Dan land. In 1471, King Le Thanh Tong established the Quang Nam Governorate, Ha Dong district was born. To commemorate the merits of the ancestors who had contributed to the land opening and establishing the village, between 1471-1473, the people together built a communal house called Chien Dan.

Every year, the people of Chien Dan village hold a ceremony to worship the communal house on the first day of spring and organize a grand festival on the full moon day of the seventh lunar month. These activities are to report their achievements and to express gratitude for the blessings of favorable weather, prosperity, good health, peace and to educate their descendants about their roots.

Following the flow of history, Chien Dan communal house associated with Chien Dan commune has been marked with the footprints of heroes, Confucian scholars, patriots and famous people of Quang region.

The names that were once famous in this land in many fields such as Kieu Phung, Dong Cong Truong, Nguyen Duc, Tran Van Du, Huynh Thuc Khang, Duong Thuong, Duong Thac... with their glorious achievements recorded at Chien Dan communal house. From being a gathering place for men, marking uprisings, speeches, and tax collection, Chien Dan communal house was also the place where the Resistance Administrative Committee was established after the August Revolution...

The thread that connects the community

In 2002, the communal house was ranked as a national architectural and artistic relic - a late but timely recognition to honor a sacred space that still remains in the world. The dark, shiny jackfruit wood pillars, the yin-yang tiled roof, the carved rafters by Van Ha craftsmen... still proudly stand through storms and winds. Since its construction, the communal house has undergone many renovations, but the original elements of the communal house are still preserved intact as an ancient architectural work.

Chien Dan communal house space. Photo: Ngan Thanh

The wooden rafters carved with delicate patterns by the famous Van Ha craftsmen are still there. The carving heritage of the traditional Van Ha craft is present in every architectural feature of the more than half a century old Chien Dan communal house.

So what remains of the ancient Chien Dan communal house is also the memory from hundreds of years ago of the carpenters of Van Ha. The story of the founder of the carpentry profession in Van Ha village, originally from Thanh - Nghe - Tinh, who planted his pole, raised his hammer, plane, chisel... for the first time on this land, with each carving in the gable and gable as told in the vestiges of Chien Dan communal house.

Mr. Thai Binh - Secretary of the Chien Dan Commune Party Committee said that over the years, the architectural and artistic values, historical and cultural beauty of the Chien Dan communal house festival have always been preserved and promoted by generations. This is an honor and pride not only for the people of Chien Dan but also for every person in Quang Nam. Now, Chien Dan communal house is a special institution of the locality.

Mr. Thai Binh added that after implementing the policy of administrative unit arrangement, Tam Thai, Tam Dan communes and Phu Thinh town were merged into one and the new name was Chien Dan commune - a place name associated with history. According to him, choosing the name "Chien Dan" is to honor the heroic tradition, connect the local cultural identity and contribute to nurturing national pride.

During the recent festival, people still lingered and gathered in the yard of the ancient village communal house, following the drum beats and shouts of the bai choi festival, even though the sunlight had filtered through the foliage and shone on people's faces. The main ceremony had ended, but the village festival had not ended.

According to researchers, in Chien Dan, the rituals are passed down in their original form by the village elders. The festival rituals are still inseparable from folk life, which are community games that accompany the lives of Quang people, such as bai choi or traditional martial arts performances.

The people of Chien Dan village also affectionately call their village festival a "reunion day". Every year, there are gifts and scholarships shared to extend the path to school for local children. It is like an existing measure of community value... starting with the persistence of holding the village festival.

According to documents from the Department of Culture and Society of Chien Dan commune, when King Le Thanh Tong led his army to battle in the South, the king used Chien Dan communal house to rest and make appropriate decisions to win.

The village communal house is now located in a high position, overlooking a large area of land.

A few kilometers from Chien Dan is the Tam Ky River. Around Chien Dan village, there are many small river branches and above all, there are many high hills blocking the front and back, very good for arranging forces for attack and defense.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/ben-bi-giu-le-hoi-dinh-lang-3302797.html