Bình Thủy Temple Festival

Introduction

The Bình Thủy Temple Festival is one of the most venerable and significant traditional celebrations in Can Tho. Bình Thủy Temple, also known as Long Tuyền Temple, was established in 1844, making it the city's oldest communal house. Each year, during the early days of the lunar new year, the festival draws thousands of residents and visitors.

History of the Temple

Bình Thủy Temple was constructed during the Nguyễn Dynasty to honor the guardian deities of the local land and its people. Despite numerous restorations over the decades, the temple has retained its traditional southern Vietnamese architectural character, featuring curved tile roofs, intricately carved wooden columns, and lacquered and gilded decorative panels.

In 1989, Bình Thủy Temple was designated a National Historical and Cultural Heritage Site.

Festival Ceremonies

Thượng Điền and Hạ Điền Rites

These are the festival's two most important ceremonies, marking the beginning and conclusion of the agricultural season. The Thượng Điền rite is conducted with great formality, with the participation of community officials and village elders.

Hát Bội Performances

Throughout the three-day festival, hát bội (classical Vietnamese opera) troupes perform traditional plays on the temple grounds. This art form has been an integral part of southern Vietnamese communal life for centuries.

Thần Nông Offering

The ritual offering to Thần Nông, the god of agriculture, petitions for abundant harvests and favorable weather, reflecting the deep bond between the local community and the land they cultivate.

Heritage Value

The Bình Thủy Temple Festival provides the people of Can Tho with an occasion to honor the contributions of their ancestors who first settled and developed this region. The festival also serves as a vital means of preserving and promoting the distinctive cultural traditions of southern Vietnam, from the art of hát bội to the folk rituals that continue to define communal life in the Mekong Delta.