Article and photos:Huynh My Thuan
Every spring, from the first day of the Lunar New Year, people from all over flock to Ba Binh Duong Pagoda located on Cach Mang Thang 8 Street, Phu Cuong Ward, Thu Dau Mot City, Binh Duong to burn incense and pray for wealth and good business. Most of them are Chinese people living in Ho Chi Minh City who make pilgrimages here. Pilgrims continuously flock to the pagoda, and it lasts until the full moon festival in January, the Lantern Festival.
On this occasion, thousands of people gathered at Ba Temple to participate in the procession of the Lady of the Land - Lady Thien Hau, which was established by the Chinese Association in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. According to the Chinese associations, it is said that she was born on March 23, the year of Giap Than (1044). At the age of eight, she could read, at eleven she became a Buddhist. At the age of thirteen she received a heavenly poem found in a well, a stack of ancient books, and practiced accordingly to attain enlightenment.
One time, her father and two brothers were carrying salt to sell in Jiangxi province (China) when they encountered a big storm on the way. At that time, she was sitting weaving next to her mother but suddenly went into a trance to save her father. She used her teeth to bite the corner of her father's shirt and grabbed her two brothers with both hands. At that moment, her mother called her; when she opened her mouth to answer her, the waves swept her father away, saving only her two brothers. Since her father's death, she often saved people who were in trouble when they were at sea in storms. After her death, the people here built a temple to worship her. In the year of Canh Dan (1110), she was ordained as Thien Hau Thanh Mau. The meaning of worshiping her is still passed down by the Chinese when they built a temple to worship her in Binh Duong, a place for pilgrims to come and pray for wealth and luck every New Year and Spring.
During the festival, the Lady's palanquin is carried around the streets and wards in the central area of Thu Dau Mot city, giving blessings to every house and then returning to the pagoda. The time of the procession of the Lady is around 3 pm. Leading the Lady's palanquin are hundreds of colorful lion and dragon troupes from Ho Chi Minh city and neighboring provinces. Children dressed in costumes identical to the Fairy Boys and Fairy Girls carry flowers, throw flowers from the flower floats, creating fireworks along the nearly five-kilometer route. Following are the Phuoc, Loc, Tho costume troupes with the monk Tam Tang and his disciples, walking on stilts, Western and Chinese bands... in an extremely bustling atmosphere.
Wherever the Lady's palanquin goes, people compete to light incense and pray for her blessings and fortune. In front of each house, there is a solemn altar filled with flowers, fruits, incense, and lamps; lucky money envelopes are given out when the lion, lion, and dragon troupes pass by and perform dances, bringing luck to each house.
In particular, before the festival at the pagoda, there is a lantern auction ceremony from the pagodas brought here. There are from 9 to 12 lanterns, depending on the pagoda. Each lantern has its own name and meaning. The names of the lanterns are: Nhat bon van loi, Dinh tai luong vuong, Tam tinh loc tho, Tu quy hung long, Huu phuc lam mon, Luc ma phu tri, That tinh phung huyet, Bat tien ho tho, Truong truong cuu cuu. The lanterns are auctioned from several million to nearly a hundred million by local Chinese businessmen and Ho Chi Minh City to buy as New Year's luck, hoping for good luck in business throughout the year. All the money raised is used for charity.
The Ba Binh Duong Pagoda Festival is a unique festival of the Chinese community and also a spring festival for the people of Binh Duong. The festival attracts people from all over to enjoy the folk culture and pick the first shoots of the year together, wishing each other "favorable weather, happiness for every family".
| Ba Binh Duong Pagoda Festival is a unique festival of the Chinese community, attracting people from all over to enjoy the folk culture and pick the first lucky branches of the year together, wishing each other "favorable weather, happiness for every family". |
