A pilgrimage to Hai Ba Trung Festival

To celebrate the 1,970 th anniversary of the Hai Ba Trung uprising (40 – 2010), the festival at Hai Ba Trung Temple is solemnly organized at the relic site of Hai Ba Trung Temple in Me Linh Commune, Me Linh District, Hanoi, the native place of the two Trung Sisters and where they proclaimed themselves Emperors and established the capital after defeating the foreign invaders.

To celebrate the 1,970th anniversary of the Hai Ba Trung uprising (40 – 2010), the festival at Hai Ba Trung Temple is solemnly organized at the relic site of Hai Ba Trung Temple in Me Linh Commune, Me Linh District, Hanoi, the native place of the two Trung Sisters and where they proclaimed themselves Emperors and established the capital after defeating the foreign invaders. Hai Ba Trung Festival is annually organized as a cultural – ritual event to highlight the merits of the two nationally recognised heroines, Trung Trac and her sister Trung Nhi, and help in educating young people about patriotism. Prestigious village elderly are chosen to beat drums and gongs to start the Festival. The procession of the king's palanquin, fighting elephants and other offerings from Ha Loi communal house toHai Ba Trung Temple. Village girls carry the palanquin. Performances of traditional dances of the old capital of Thang Long – present-day Hanoi. Me Linh villagers re-act the rebellion of the two Trung Sisters. Families who live near the road leading from Ha Loi communal house to Hai Ba Trung Temple each have a tray of offerings placed in front of their houses, with a wish that the woman king will bring them good luck and happiness to their families and community. A tray of offerings of Me Linh villagers at the festival. Going on a pilgrimage to Hai Ba Trung Festival is really a pleasure for the elderly from Ha Loi Hamlet in springtime. Hai Ba Trung Festival always attracts visitors from all parts of the country. Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan (in white vest) joins in offering incense joss-sticks in honour of the two national heroines. Young people join in swinging. Besides dragon and lion dancing, wrestling also attracts a lot of spectators. The pledge of the two Trung Sisters was inscribed on stones. Thousands of people attend the procession. According to the Vietnamese account, the two Trung Sisters, riding elephants leading the troops in battle, defeated the Han invaders, gaining independence for the country after more than two centuries of domination by the foreign feudal invaders. For the first time in Vietnamese history, the country of Viet had a king, more significantly a woman king. In many historical references and books, since their great achievement, the Vietnamese people consider them as the national heroines, even sacred spirits, and they built temples in many parts of the country to honour and worship them. The Festival starts with a procession of carrying the king's palanquin and the fighting elephants, together with other offerings from Ha Loi communal house to the Hai Ba Trung Temple, with the participation of hundreds of Me Linh villagers and members of traditional ritual performing groups. During the Festival, folk games and artistic performances are held, such as dragon and lion dancing, cheo (operetta) singing, wrestling competition, swinging, etc. Many domestic pilgrims and foreign tourists attend the Festival in honour of the national heroines’ merits or to learn about an important event in the country's history. This is also one of the cultural and festive events to be held in 2010 in celebration of the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long – Hanoi.