Since 2009, the Hai Chau Village Communal House Festival has been held in Da Nang annually on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month in order to honour ancestors, and to preserve and promote Vietnamese cultural identity.
This year’s event, which will last from 8 – 10 of the 3rd lunar month (14 – 16 April), will feature a wide range of solemn rituals. In addition, there will be various exciting cultural and sporting activities, including a tug-of-war competition and a sack race, along with Tuong (classical drama) and folk singing performances.
Most notably, the forthcoming festival will feature a number of new activities, including a talent contest for the district’s government officials and employees entitled ‘Year for Culture and Urban Civilisation’, and impressive water puppet performances by artistes from the Nguyen Hien Dinh Tuong Theatre. The puppet shows aim to educate younger generations about preserving Vietnamese cultural identity and conserving traditional art forms, both of which are being eroded by modern life.
The festival’s organising board and relevant agencies have been making preparations for the event to ensure its success.
Located in alley No 48 on Phan Chau Trinh Street in Hai Chau District’s Hai Chau 1 Ward, the Hai Chau Communal House was built in the 5th year of Gia Long’s reign in 1806.
The 3,500 m2 venue is home to a holy temple of the Lady Goddess Thien Yana (Holy Mother) and 3 houses of worship. One is dedicated to the ancestors, and the other 2 are for praising the founding members of Hai Chau village’s 43 clans. In 1471, in the reign of Emperor Le Thanh Tong, these clans from Hai Chau Commune’s Hieu Hien Village in Thanh Hoa Province’s Ngoc Son District, together founded Hai Chau Village.
The communal house was recognised as a historical and cultural relic on 12 July 2001 by the Ministry of Culture and Information.
