Lầu Bà Cố Hỷ

Lầu Bà Cố Hỷ Ba Động is a sacred structure that beautifully embodies the rich coastal folk culture of Trà Vinh.
Spiritual Beauty by the Sea
Lầu bà Cố Hỷ Ba Động, also known by shorter names such as Lầu bà Ba Động and officially named Lầu bà Cố Hỷ Thượng động nương nương, is located in Ba Động Hamlet, Trường Long Hòa Commune, Duyên Hải Town, situated 51 km southeast of Trà Vinh City and 12 km northeast of Duyên Hải Town.

The worship of Bà Cố Hỷ is a traditional folk belief among Vietnamese fishermen. This belief flourished in the Bình Thuận region, South Central Vietnam, and was carried by fishermen as a spiritual cultural heritage during their centuries-long migration southward. Thus, the custom of worshipping Bà Cố Hỷ is regarded as a “certification” of the local inhabitants' origins during their southward expansion. Furthermore, from the pre-insurrection period through the two resistance wars against French colonialism and American imperialism, Lầu bà Cố Hỷ Ba Động and the community of followers made significant contributions to the cause of national liberation.

Based on this, Lầu bà Cố Hỷ Ba Động was recognized as a provincial-level historical and cultural relic by the People's Committee of Trà Vinh Province in 2015.
In the Mother Goddess worship tradition of Vietnamese people in Central and Southern Vietnam, Bà Cố Hỷ is a unique goddess, considered both a benevolent deity and a vengeful spirit. Legend has it that long ago, in a coastal village in Quảng Nam, there lived a beautiful orphan girl with her kind adoptive father. Malicious rumors spread that the girl was involved in an incestuous relationship with her own father, leading the villagers to trap her in a basket and drown her in the sea. Her body drifted to the Cà Ná region, where local people buried her and erected a temple on a hill in her honor. Filled with an unyielding sense of injustice, the girl's sacred spirit transformed into a dragon, soaring across oceans and rivers to rescue upright people caught in fierce storms, but also ready to brutally punish those who were deceitful and harmed others. Fishermen from Bình Thuận, having experienced her divine interventions many times, established numerous temples on high sand dunes along the coast, honoring her with the name Bà Cố Hỷ. Oaths and curses like “Bà Cố Hỷ will gouge out your eyes”, “Bà Cố Hỷ will twist your throat”… deeply ingrained themselves in the minds and shaped the behavior of generations of fishermen, encouraging them to do good, avoid evil, and live harmoniously with nature and their village community.

During the time of assisting Lord Nguyễn Ánh, General Lê Văn Duyệt once stopped at a desolate temple in Cà Ná, praying to the goddess for her protection of his army. After his victory, Emperor Gia Long bestowed upon her a royal decree with the honorary titles “Thượng động Cố Hỷ Tiên Phi” or “Thượng động Cố Hỷ Nương Nương”. From then on, the worship of Bà Cố Hỷ became a popular folk belief among fishermen in the South Central region, especially in coastal areas with three large sand dunes belonging to Bình Thuận Province.
During their southward migration between the 17th and 19th centuries, a segment of Bình Thuận fishermen settled and established villages in the coastal areas of Trà Vinh, bringing with them the worship of Bà Cố Hỷ. A distinctive feature of this practice was their choice of high sand dunes or the construction of tall towers for worship. The coastal region of Trà Vinh once housed many Bà Cố Hỷ worship establishments, the most prominent being Lầu bà Bến Cát (now retaining the place name Vàm Lầu, in Mỹ Long Bắc Commune, Cầu Ngang District), Động bà (now transformed into Giác Linh Pagoda, dedicated to Buddha, also in Mỹ Long Bắc Commune, Cầu Ngang), and Lầu bà Ba Động. By the end of the 20th century, Lầu bà Ba Động remained the sole Bà Cố Hỷ worship site in Trà Vinh Province that was well-built, managed by an administrative board, and featured traditional festivals organized quite systematically each year.
Lầu bà Cố Hỷ Ba Động was established in conjunction with the land reclamation and village founding process by the people of Trường Long Hòa. Initially, this place of worship was simple, featuring a basic wooden frame and a roof made of nipa palm leaves. By the early 20th century, villagers collectively rebuilt it with ironwood (căm xe wood) and a tiled roof. During the American War, Lầu bà suffered damage from bombing raids and was rebuilt grandly in 2008, appearing as it does today.
Lầu bà Cố Hỷ Ba Động is built on a spacious compound spanning 3,000 square meters. The main architectural feature is the Goddess's temple, connected to a performing hall (vỏ ca) used for the 'múa bóng rỗi' ritual dance and for preparing offerings. In front of the courtyard is a small shrine dedicated to Đại Càn Nguyên Soái or Nam Hải Đại Càn Tướng Quân, which is the spiritual tablet for the whale. Behind it is the 'nhà trù,' or kitchen, and to the left is a row of houses used to host visitors from all directions attending the Vía Bà festival.
The Lầu bà (temple) features a ground floor and an upper floor. The ground floor is dedicated to Bà Chúa Xứ, a popular form of Mother Goddess worship in the Mekong Delta region, considered the goddess who governs the land and the vast sea. The altar for Bà Chúa Xứ is placed in the center. To the left is the altar for two young deities, “Tài” and “Quí” (pronounced in the Hokkien dialect), who are actually “Đại” (Great) and “Tiểu” (Small). Legend says they are her two sons and also her attendants. To the right is the altar for Nam Hải Quốc Gia, the spiritual tablet for the whale, a sacred creature believed to have been assigned by Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva (Guan Yin) to patrol the seas and rescue those in distress.

The upper floor houses a rather secluded worship chamber, encircled by a surrounding corridor. At the center of the chamber is the altar with a statue of Bà Cố Hỷ, flanked by statues of Bà Thủy (Water Goddess) and Bà Hỏa (Fire Goddess). A unique aspect of Lầu bà Ba Động is that, although Bà Cố Hỷ is a form of Mother Goddess worship with a clear mythology, once popular from the South Central region to the Mekong Delta, generations of Trường Long Hòa residents have identified this goddess with the historical figure Triệu Thị Trinh (also known as Bà Triệu), a renowned female general from the early centuries CE who fought invaders to save the country. Legend has it that when the elders cast lots to seek permission to establish Lầu bà, a red-painted wooden box mysteriously washed ashore during a storm. The villagers took it back out to sea by boat, but before long, the box drifted back to shore. The elders reverently brought it ashore, and upon opening it, discovered two royal decrees (sắc phong Thần) for the deities, honoring the siblings Triệu Minh Công (also known as Triệu Quốc Đạt) and Triệu Thị Trinh. The elders understood that their village had been honorably chosen by the deities as a dwelling place, so they erected a communal house (đình) to worship the male decree (Ông) and brought the female decree (Bà) into the Lầu, where it is worshipped alongside Bà Cố Hỷ.
This phenomenon of identifying a Mother Goddess with a historical figure reflects the patriotism and national origins of the Trường Long Hòa people through many historical ups and downs.
Trường Long Hòa is a land rich in patriotic traditions and revolutionary struggle, serving as a solid base for the Provincial Party Committee and revolutionary armed units of Trà Vinh Province throughout the two resistance wars. Amidst these collective achievements, the Lầu bà religious establishment, its management board, and the community of followers made significant contributions.
During the pre-insurrection period, Lầu bà served as a meeting place for the Party Cell and the Vanguard Youth organization of Trường Long Hòa, where preparations were made for the local uprising to seize power in August 1945. Soon after, when French colonialists threatened to invade Trà Vinh by sea, Lầu bà became a barracks for the provincial Republican Guard forces and local people, who established a coastal defense line to thwart the enemy's advance.
After invading Trà Vinh, French colonialists established Ba Động District, making the Ba Động area its administrative center. The army and people of Duyên Hải used Lầu bà as a springboard for their attack, driving the district headquarters out in February 1947. In 1951, Lầu bà also served as a staging point for our army and people to sink a notorious enemy fleet, eliminating over 200 enemy soldiers.
Following the Đồng Khởi Uprising in September 1960, the resistance war against the Americans by the army and people of Trà Vinh increasingly gained momentum. Lầu bà became a crucial base within the Trà Vinh Provincial Party Committee's network in Trường Long Hòa. This very location was chosen by the Provincial Military Command to open numerous training courses for military cadres across provincial, district, and commune-level armed units. Notable examples include the political-military cadre course and the special forces training course. Many trainees who grew up here became talented leaders, commanders, or heroes of the armed forces. After being damaged by American bombing, the management board of Lầu bà donated ironwood (căm xe wood) pillars to the provincial military ordnance department, which used them to manufacture gunstocks, thus contributing to arming the armed forces.
From 1963 to 1966, Trường Long Hòa was one of Trà Vinh Province's two crucial reception points for weapons arriving from the 'Ships Without Numbers' (Đoàn Tàu Không Số) fleet, part of the Hồ Chí Minh Trail at sea. Lầu bà served as a transit point, temporarily storing weapons and military equipment before their distribution to key military units in the region and to the Provincial Military Logistics of provinces in the Mekong Delta.
Under the mobilization of the local Party Cell, many young men and women from the community of Bà Cố Hỷ Ba Động followers left their families to join the resistance, liberate their homeland, and contribute to the cause of liberating the South and reunifying the country.
The Mother Goddess worship always goes hand-in-hand with the Vía Bà festival. The Vía Bà Cố Hỷ festival at Lầu bà Ba Động is held twice a year, in spring and autumn, on the 15th–16th days of the 1st lunar month and the 15th–16th days of the 7th lunar month, with the main Vía festival days being the 15th and 16th of the 1st lunar month. Because Lầu bà Ba Động is one of the rare well-preserved Bà Cố Hỷ worship sites with a diligently maintained management board, the Vía Bà festival is not only a celebration for local residents but also attracts thousands of coastal dwellers from provinces spanning from Tiền Giang and Bến Tre to Sóc Trăng, Bạc Liêu, and Cà Mau. The main rituals of the Vía Bà Ba Động festival are as follows:
– The 15th Day of the 1st Lunar Month: The Túc Yết Ceremony (6 AM: responsible individuals gather to review preparations); Mộc Dục Ritual (7 AM: cleansing and changing the robes and crowns of the Holy Mother's statue); Nghinh Ông (Procession to Welcome the Gentleman) (9 AM: a procession of village elders carrying incense burners, drums, parasols, and palanquins to bring "Ông" back. "Ông" here refers to Triệu Minh Công, also known as Triệu Quốc Đạt, the elder brother of female general Triệu Thị Trinh. "Ông" is also understood as Đức Ông Nam Hải, the spiritual tablet of the whale); Khai Lễ – Chầu Mời (Opening Ceremony – Invitation) (12 PM: the resounding beat of drums and gongs signals the Holy Mother's arrival to reside in the temple, overseeing all worship activities of the villagers); Tế Tiền Vãng (Ancestral Offering) (4 PM: a ritual offering to the venerated ancestors and benefactors who contributed to reclaiming land and establishing the village); Múa Bóng Rỗi – Địa Nàng (Ritual Dance – Earth Spirit) (7 PM, lasting until late night: male and female ritual performers (bóng cô, bóng cậu) dance and sing, offering various items to the Holy Mother, and also providing folk performance art for the villagers' enjoyment); Chánh Tế (Main Offering Ceremony) (11 PM – 12 AM: the main offering ritual with a full array of food and offerings, along with a eulogy praising the Holy Mother's virtues, praying for her grace and protection upon the people, especially those at sea).

– The 16th Day of the 1st Lunar Month: Tống Ôn Ceremony (10 AM: a sorcerer performs rituals to dispel negative energy, evil spirits, and diseases); Tiễn Ông (Farewell to the Gentleman) (12 PM: a procession of formally dressed people escorts Ông's spiritual tablet back to its original place).
Throughout these two days, in parallel with performing the rituals, the management board of Lầu bà hosts visitors from all directions, fostering a joyful and united atmosphere.
Vinh Long 5209 view
Update day : 30/10/2023
Source : travinh.gov.vn Affiliate links
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