Unique Yin Yang market in Bac Ninh on the 4th night of Tet
HA (according to VOV)•February 14, 2024 06:34
Every year on the night of the 4th and early morning of the 5th of Tet, the Am Duong market in O village, Vo Cuong ward, Bac Ninh city (Bac Ninh) with the spiritual meaning of "buying luck and selling bad luck", creates an opportunity for the dead and the living to meet each other.
The Yin Yang market also has spiritual significance, creating an opportunity for the dead and the living to meet, becoming a form of cultural activity imbued with the folk beliefs of Kinh Bac people.
According to preserved documents, in the year of Nham Dan (43 AD), the Han Dynasty ordered Ma Vien to lead troops to attack the Trung Sisters. The enemy troops reached Vu Ninh town, Tien Du district (Bac Ninh province) and encountered the Trung Sisters' troops, and a fierce battle broke out, many soldiers were sacrificed. After the battle, the relatives of those soldiers returned to the old battlefield to remember their loved ones after the Lunar New Year.
Gradually, people believed that the gates of hell only opened once a year on the night of the 4th and early morning of the 5th of the first lunar month for people in the underworld to meet their relatives on earth. From then on, the Yin-Yang market was born.
The market begins at "lighting up" on an empty lot, next to a famous sacred temple in the area. This is a market without tents or candles for lighting.
At the market, no one bargains, and no one counts the money the buyer pays. In the darkness, all one can see are shadows of people walking around and whispering. People are not as concerned with "buying for luck and selling for misfortune" as they are in some other markets. The market is an opportunity for people from the living world to meet people from the dead.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Phu in Xuan O area, Vo Cuong ward, Bac Ninh city said that now no one remembers when the first Am Duong market started. The Am Duong market of O village has many special features, the market starts when the "lights are on" on an empty lot, called a market, but there are no tents, stalls, and no lights are used.
“Although there are no stalls, the market still has a lot of wine, votive offerings, incense, candles, areca nuts, betel, salt, porridge, fruits, etc. In addition, there are also black chickens, a symbol of mystery and spirituality, sold at the market,” Ms. Phu shared.
The later it gets, the more people and tourists come to visit and experience the Yin Yang market.
Here, the Organizing Committee also arranged offerings to commemorate the ancestors.
People and tourists coming to the Am Duong market often buy votive paper to burn for the deceased with the wish to rest in peace.
Rice, salt, and lighters are packaged in small bags to easily serve tourists who come to "buy luck and sell bad luck" at the beginning of the year.
To buy black chicken, a special item at the Am Duong market in O village, people have to line up, buy tickets and wait until the time to receive the chicken.
According to the people of O village, the black chicken is a symbol of mystery and spirituality. Only those who are truly lucky can squeeze in and choose a black chicken to take home after the market.
Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hu in Ninh Xa ward, Bac Ninh city (Bac Ninh) said that in the third year of the restoration of Am Duong market, many people from everywhere eagerly flocked to enjoy the cultural values of the ancients. "In particular, today my friends and I went to Am Duong market to burn incense, ask for a little more luck, pray for good health for the family, peace, success in everything, and luckiest of all, to buy a black chicken."
The Am Duong Market, imbued with the folk culture of Kinh Bac region, in early spring not only attracts locals but also many tourists from all over the world, even foreign tourists.HA (according to VOV)
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