Đoan Ngọ (Đoan Dương) là tết cổ truyền của Việt Nam và một số quốc gia Đông Á, diễn ra vào ngày Doan Ngo (Doan Duong) is a traditional New Year of Vietnam and some East Asian countries, taking place on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month. In Vietnam, our folk often call it “killing insects” Tet. Since ancient times, folk songs have passed down: “In April, measure beans and cook sweet soup. Celebrate the Doan Ngo festival and return to May.”

This is considered the strangest Tet of Vietnamese people with many unique rituals and customs. The book “Dong Khanh Geography” records that “Dragon Horse Festival prepares enough wine and fruits to worship ancestors from early morning. Everyone drinks wine, eats fruit, and kills insects. That day, people picked medicinal herbs to store for use, picked wormwood leaves depending on the year and tied them into the shape of that year’s symbolic animal…”. In particular, historical sources such as the Complete Annals of Dai Viet, Le Trieu Hoi Dien, Lich Trieu Hien Chuong Loai Chi… all said that in the royal court of the Le Dynasty, the Doan Ngo Festival was a regular court ceremony, the emperor was under the destiny of heaven. perform a number of rituals such as offering sacrifices to the ancestors, showing filial piety to parents, banquets and fans for civil and military mandarins… Doan Ngo Tet in the royal court and outside the people has different rituals and customs, but These are all occasions for children and grandchildren to find their roots, remember their ancestors’ merits, pray for health, peace, and good harvests.

In order to preserve and honor the cultural traditions of the nation in general and promote the value of Thang Long royal court culture, the Thang Long – Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center would like to respectfully introduce the Program “Tet Doan Ngo Thang Long Co” in a series of activities on the occasion of Doan Ngo Tet 2024 and International Children’s Day June 1. The program includes the following activities: Displaying traditional folk customs, rituals in the royal court on Doan Ngo Tet, practicing two special rituals on Doan Ngo Tet in the royal court (ceremony to worship ancestors). fairy and fan-giving ceremony), practicing the folk custom of “killing insects” and performing and exchanging the art of enjoying tea.

Exhibition

Doan Ngo means the opening day of the hottest days of the year. The hot and humid summer weather produces insects and bacteria that damage crops and seriously affect human health. To fight the heat and prevent epidemics, our ancestors had many unique experiences such as: the custom of eating fruit, eating ash cakes, eating rice and sticky rice wine, drinking Hoang Hoang wine, calamus to “kill insects” in the body. early in the morning; continue to pick medicinal herbs and make tea at midday; The custom of wearing five-colored thread, wearing scented bags containing coriander seeds and powder to ward off insects… These customs are recreated honestly and simply through the worship space and the space displaying sacred items. herbs, aromatic sachets. The display area reminds us of two familiar old quarters, Thuoc Bac and Hang Men. Every Doan Ngo festival, people in the ancient capital of Thang Long bustled to buy five-colored thread and scented bags on Hang Mun street to wear for children; Buy herbal leaves to make tea, boil water to drink, buy herbs to prevent diseases…

In addition to the space displaying traditional folk customs, ancestor worship rituals, court ceremonies, and fan-giving ceremonies in the royal court are also explained through paintings and simulated models of artifacts. To prepare for the king’s fan-giving ceremony, the court assigned: “The royal family assigned the six royal palaces to receive wages and deliver them to Dao Xa commune to make and paint.” Dao Xa is a village of people with the Dao family name. In the past, the village specialized in making fans so it was also called Dao fan. During the Le Dynasty, the village belonged to Ngoc Bureau, Duong An district, Thuong Hong district, Hai Duong town, now belongs to Bai Say commune, An Thi district, Hung Yen. The village god is the founder of the fan craft, Dao Tien Cong. The village not only makes fans that are often sold to rural areas such as bamboo fans, Do Phat Lich paper fans…, but is also a place chosen by the royal court to have talented craftsmen who can make precious fans with good techniques. sophisticated, reserved for kings, mandarins, nobles and wealthy merchants such as ivory fans, tortoiseshell fans, precious wood fans… Later, the people of the village moved to the capital to make and trade fans, setting up Hang Quat street in Thang Long capital. The booth displays a number of simulated fans built by the aristocratic class of kings and mandarins and common fans of the people, helping visitors have a clearer view of the culture of using fans of the ancients. For people in hot countries like Vietnam, the fan plays an extremely important role in daily life.

• Time: From June 1, 2024
  Location: House 19C, Thang Long Imperial Citadel Heritage Area
  PRACTICE OF ROYAL CEREMONIES

PRACTICE OF ROYAL CEREMONIES

Doan Ngo Festival was solemnly organized by the dynasties with royal rituals.The dynasty calendar, charter chapter loai chi and the Le Trieu Hoi Dien both said that under the reign of Le Trung Hung, the Doan Ngo festival was also an occasion for the king and royal family to prepare offerings to their ancestors and parents. With regular court rituals, at Can Chanh palace, the prince and civil and military mandarins from the fourth and fifth ranks were all able to attend. The king sits majestically on the dragon throne, and his servants happily congratulate him. In order to raise the spirit of loyalty of his officials, the king wrote poems on fans to express advice. According to tradition, Tet is also an occasion for servants to receive rewards. Doan Ngo Tet takes place right at the time of hot weather, fans are an extremely essential cooling device, so in addition to banquets, the king also gives fans. In 1527, the Complete History of Dai Viet recorded “In the 5th month, on the 5th day, fan is given”. Fans are given to princes, civil servants, military officials, soldiers, slaves, petty officers… with the hope of good health and peace.

It can be said that the ancestor worshiping ceremony and the fan-giving ceremony are two unique rituals, containing profound humanistic meaning, expressing gratitude to the ancestors and concern for the king’s servants. Continuing that noble tradition, every year on the occasion of Doan Ngo Festival, the Thang Long – Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center coordinates with the Thang Long Cultural Heritage Association, Y Van Hien Joint Stock Company and the Conservation Center. Developing Vietnamese theater arts, practicing the ceremony of offering incense to the ancestors and the ceremony of giving fans.

• Thời gian: 8h30 ngày 6/6/2024 (ngày 1/5 âm lịch)
• Địa điểm: sân điện Kính Thiên, Khu di sản Hoàng thành Thăng Long

PRACTICE OF THE FOLK CUSTOM OF “KILLING PESTINS”

According to folk beliefs, there are “worms” in our bodies, which are actually parasites that live on May 5. Therefore, after the ancestor worship ceremony in the early morning, the whole family will gather to eat fruits such as  peaches, plums, lychees, watermelons, star fruit, mangoes along with sticky rice wine, ash cakes and drink Hung Hoang wine, calamus… to eliminate “worms” in the body, praying for good health and peace.

This is not only the long-standing folk disease prevention knowledge of our ancestors with the purpose of cooling, detoxifying, and protecting human health in the hot summer weather, but also a cultural beauty in culinary art. Vietnamese people’s reality. Culinary artist Anh Tuyet will interact and chat to help tourists and young people better understand this custom.

• Time: 9:00 a.m. June 6, 2024 (May 1 of the lunar calendar)
• Location: Octagonal Floor, East Gate, Thang Long Imperial Citadel Heritage Area

PERFORMANCE AND EXCHANGE

Drinking tea is a tradition and habit of Vietnamese people. According to folk experience, at noon on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, people often go to pick various kinds of guava leaves, guava buds, lotus leaves, asparagus leaves, jasmine flowers, lotus flowers… to dry and store for preservation. Drink all year long. In the Complete History of Dai Viet, it is written that the Tran kings built a palace to enjoy tea. During the reign of King Le and King Nguyen, this art developed further and reached its peak. On Doan Ngo Tet, in addition to rewarding their servants with bird’s nest, fans, and handkerchiefs, the Nguyen kings also rewarded their servants with tea. Drinking tea and enjoying tea are like a cultural flow that permeates the lives and souls of Vietnamese people. To honor the custom of drinking tea to cool down the healing room to the art of enjoying royal tea, the Center coordinates with tea artisans Hoang Anh Suong and tea artisan Nguyen Cao Son to organize performances and exchanges with tourists. guest. Artisans will share good stories, secrets for marinating tea, making tea, enjoying unique tea… conveying knowledge, understanding and joy to visitors.

• Time:
  10:00 June 6, 2024 Tea artist Hoang Anh Suong
  10:00 June 9, 2024 Cao Son tea artisan
• Location: Octagonal Floor, East Gate, Thang Long Imperial Citadel Heritage Area