Buffalo Offering Festival at Nine-Room Temple towards National Intangible Cultural Heritage

(Baothanhhoa.vn) - On the morning of February 22 (ie January 25 of the lunar calendar), Thanh Quan commune, Nhu Xuan district held the Buffalo Offering Festival at the Nine-Room Temple. This is a folk belief festival containing unique traditional cultural values of the Thai ethnic group.

Comrade Luong Thi Hoa, Secretary of the District Party Committee, beat the drum to open the festival.

Comrade Pham Thi Thanh Thuy, Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Chairwoman of the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee and delegates attended the ceremony.

Attending the ceremony were comrade Pham Thi Thanh Thuy, member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Chairwoman of the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee; leaders of the Department of Cultural Heritage Management, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; leaders of provincial departments and branches; representatives of leaders of districts in the province and a large number of people of Nhu Xuan district.

The Buffalo Offering Festival at the Nine-Room Temple is a religious activity of the ethnic minorities in Nhu Xuan district. According to historical records, the Nine-Room Temple was built to worship Then Pha (worshiper of heaven), Nang Xi Da (daughter of heaven), and Tao Lo Y (the person who built the village and established the village). The temple was built in the style of a stilt house - a characteristic of the Thai people. The temple is divided into 9 rooms corresponding to the places of worship of the 9 villages.

The practice of stirring the beds is preserved and promoted by the Thai ethnic people in Nhu Xuan district.

The festival is held for 2 days from February 21 to 22, 2025 (ie January 24 to 25 of the lunar calendar) including the Ceremony and the Festival. The Ceremony includes rituals such as: buffalo bathing and procession, buffalo offering and worshiping to the gods to remember the great merits of our ancestors who founded the village and the Muong, arousing the spirit of solidarity and attachment of the ethnic people. In addition to the traditional spiritual rituals, when coming to the Buffalo Offering Festival at the Nine-Room Temple, visitors will be immersed in the sound of gongs, drums and folk games of the ethnic people of Nhu Xuan district.

Leaders of Nhu Xuan district performed the Great Sacrifice ceremony.

Many people and tourists attended the ceremony.

This year's festival was completely restored by Nhu Xuan district to propose the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to recognize it as a national intangible cultural heritage.