Old village in the heart of the city

Old village

Thanh Binh Ward today was formed from Thanh Cuong village, also known as Suot village. According to the legend of Suot temple and the genealogy of some families, Thanh Cuong village was established in the 14th century, under the Tran dynasty. The residents of the village included 12 large families whose main source of income was farming and raising livestock. Thanh Cuong was known at that time as a rich and prosperous area with a sacred cultural system of communal houses, temples and pagodas.

During the Le Dynasty, Thanh Cuong village had 3 hamlets including Giap Bac, Giap Dong and Giap Nam. After the August Revolution, Thanh Cuong commune merged with Binh Lau commune to form Thanh Binh commune, including 7 villages: Thanh Cuong, Dam Loc, Kim Chi, Duc Minh, Kenh Tre, Binh Lau and Tan Kim. After two times of separation and merger into Cam Giang district, in 1969 Thanh Binh commune was merged into Hai Duong town and in 1997 was upgraded to a ward. The old Thanh Cuong village was divided into 3 residential areas 1, 2 and 3 of Thanh Binh ward today.

Ngoc Chau Ward today was also formed from the ancient Ngoc Uyen village. According to historical records, ancient Ngoc Uyen was a strip of land alluvial by the Thai Binh River. Seeing the fertile land, residents from everywhere came here to reclaim land, build banks, and dams to establish Dui camp. Around the 10th century, Dui camp had a large population, and the land developed into a village with a new name, Thai Binh. Residents from Nam Dinh, Thai Binh and the regions of Binh Giang, Thanh Mien... also migrated here to live, building Thai Binh village into a commune, a village... At that time, Thai Binh commune had 8 families living here. The legend of Ngoc Uyen village is associated with the names and achievements of two saints Le Viet Hung and Le Viet Quang who helped King Dinh suppress the rebellion of 12 warlords. After being conferred the title by King Dinh Tien Hoang, the two saints were assigned the task of returning to their hometown to build a fort east of Thanh Phuong. When returning to their hometown, the two saints worked with the people to build their hometown. In 1000, the two generals died in their hometown. The king conferred them the title of village tutelary god, ordered a temple to be built, and named the area Ngoc Uyen village.

Many customs are passed down

Although modern life has changed a lot, many ancient villages in the city still maintain their traditional customs. One of the most noticeable cultural beauties is the preservation of traditional village festivals.

In Suot village, the traditional festival of Suot temple - communal house - pagoda is also an important holiday of the whole village. In full years, from the 9th to the 11th of the third lunar month, the festival is solemnly held with many rituals and ceremonies restored according to tradition. From the announcement ceremony, pounding rice cakes, cooking sweet soup, sacrificing buffaloes, bathing the gods, releasing eggs... One of the most anticipated ceremonies by the people is the tiger-chasing ceremony and the procession throughout the ward. All the ceremonies taking place in the village festival have ancient stories passed down, associated with the life and career of King Vu Huu.

During the village festival, each large clan will prepare a beautifully decorated live “pig” and bring it to the temple for the ceremony. “In our Suot village, on Thanh Minh day, we only have small meals within the family and clan, while the village festival on March 10 is the main festival. Not only does the village have a feast, but the clans also take advantage of this holiday to have a reunion meal for the whole clan. From the elderly to the children, everyone looks forward to this holiday to meet, reunite, and participate in the village festival. To this day, this custom is still passed down by the clans, making the village festival even more bustling,” said Mr. Hoang Van Tu, Standing Member of the Management Board of the Suot Temple-Communal House-Chua Relic.

Ngoc Uyen village also considers the birthday of the two generals as a village festival. The village festival usually lasts for 3 days from January 15-17 every year. According to traditional rituals, the ceremony at the communal house will be performed by 5 groups including Cuu Dong Hao, Tan Dong Hao, Khang Phu, Tay Hao and Tay Phu. The groups prepare the ceremony including a "pig", compressed sticky rice, "rooster" (rooster), fruits, cakes beautifully displayed, put on a stand to be carried to the communal house. Mr. Vu Dinh Duong, 86 years old, in group 15 of Ngoc Chau ward, has spent a lot of time and effort researching and learning about the history of this land. He is very happy that many traditional rituals of the village festival are still preserved to this day. “As life develops, many previous rituals have been modified to be more suitable. For example, in the past, the whole “pig” had to be prepared on the festival day, but now it is only done on full moon years. In normal years, the zodiac signs only bring a pig’s head and a tray of raspberries,” said Mr. Duong.

The village festival is also an occasion for the extended families and hamlets to organize a reunion meal, meet and share joys in life. “Since I was a child, I have been used to eating and playing at the village festival. Now, every time there is a village festival, I take my children to the communal house so that they can witness and participate in the ceremony to better understand their roots,” said Mr. Le Van Tu, in Zone 7, Ngoc Chau Ward.

In the heart of the city, the old villages still preserve many beautiful customs that enrich the cultural life of the people here. And more importantly, despite the busy life, the modern, hurried pace of life, they still carry with them beautiful customs.