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Attending the ceremony were Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan, representatives from several central ministries and agencies, leaders of Ha Nam province, and a large number of local people and tourists from inside and outside the province.
This year's offering ceremony was held at midnight on the 14th day of the first lunar month, consisting of three parts: the procession of provisions from the earth god's shrine into the temple for the ceremony; the lighting of torches and offering of incense by representatives of the Party, State, and people; and the procession of provisions into the inner sanctuary for a secret ceremony.
The 2012 offering ceremony at Tran Thuong Temple. Photo: VNA
In 2014, the organizing committee, in coordination with the temple, distributed 100,000 bags of offerings at 29 locations. Visitors would receive a red silk bag containing an amulet and a card. Inside the bag of offerings for Saint Tran in the Year of the Horse (2014) were three main grains produced in the Ly Nhan region: red corn, soybeans, and glutinous rice.
The Tran Thuong Temple Grain Distribution Festival is a major early-year festival in Ha Nam province. The festival is held to commemorate the great contributions of the national hero, General Tran Quoc Tuan (Hung Dao Dai Vuong). The festival takes place at the main temple – the place where Tran Quoc Tuan chose to establish a granary, supplying provisions to the army during the resistance wars against the Mongol invaders in the 13th century.
2014 marked the 5th year that Ha Nam province organized the Tran Thuong Temple offering ceremony. The organization of this annual offering ceremony at the temple contributes to the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage values, while also educating about the patriotic tradition of our ancestors in resisting foreign invaders.
