Comprising a range of ceremonies and traditional activities reflective of Vietnam’s rice-growing culture, Keo Hành Thiện Pagoda’s annual festival is a momentous occasion for locals to pay respect to their community’s Đức Thánh Tổ (Holy Ancestor) — Zen master Dương Không Lộ — as well as his religious importance and good deeds.
Around the middle of the 9th month of the lunar calendar every year, Hành Thiện Village in Nam Định Province (northern Vietnam) buzzes with festivities as part of the Keo Pagoda Festival. This tradition plays a crucial role in the community’s yearly routine and in the minds of Hành Thiện inhabitants.
The front of Thần Quang Tự.
Hành Thiện — the carp-shaped village with rich learning traditions
Hành Thiện Village is part of Xuân Hồng Commune, Xuân Trường Ward, Nam Định Province. It’s an archetypal northern Vietnam village based at the joint between the Red River and Ninh Cơ River. In the final days of autumn, flecks of gentle sunlight caress tree canopies and the moss-draped roofs of local temples in the quaint village. Alongside the embankment, clumps of fox-tailed grass flowers turn the riverside white while the wind from Ninh Cơ River brushes its coolness against my skin. Once I set foot on Hành Thiện’s land, I could almost sense the echoes of hundreds of years in the past on every roof, market corner, and banyan tree.
Albeit an ancient site that has existed for a long time, the village was only named Hành Thiện 200 years ago by Emperor Minh Mạng. Throughout its history from its founding until now, Hành Thiện has been renowned as a land of scholarly learning. The saying “Cổ Am in the East, Hành Thiện in the South” has been passed down to praise this tradition. The village is also the cradle of many treasured customs and traditions, once recognized by Emperor Tự Đức with the four characters “mỹ tục khả phong” (a royal commendation given to places with beautiful customs).
Hành Thiện Village lies on a carp-shaped patch of land and is known for its pedagogic customs.
In addition to tradition and spiritual values, Hành Thiện’s heritage also includes historical and cultural monuments of great significance. Keo Pagoda is one such example. The pagoda comprises two parts: Inner Keo Pagoda (Thần Quang Tự — built in 1612) and Outer Keo Pagoda (Đĩnh Lan Tự — built in 1788).
According to historical records, Zen master Dương Không Lộ founded Nghiêm Quang Pagoda in 1061 on the land of Giao Thủy, Hải Thanh District, later renaming it Thần Quang. The pagoda is also called Keo Pagoda because “Giao” sounds like “Keo” in Nôm Vietnamese. Initially, the pagoda was quite grand, serving as a major Buddhist center in the southern Red River Delta region. However, in the years of 1588 and 1611, the more than 500-year-old pagoda was devastated by floods due to the breaking of the Red River dike. Locals had to abandon their homeland, relocating to establish new villages along the two banks of the Red River. On the left bank, they founded Dũng Nhuệ Village. On the right bank, village elders chose a piece of land shaped like a carp, with its tail facing north and head south, to establish the village of Hành Cung (later known as Hành Thiện). The carp shape combines the natural landscape with human aspirations, embodying the hope of “the carp jumping over the gate” held by the village founders.
Villagers on both sides built new pagodas, keeping the original name, Keo Pagoda, and adhering to the rule of “first Buddha, then the holy saints.” In addition to worshiping Buddha like other pagodas, Keo Pagoda in Hành Thiện also venerates their Holy Ancestor, Zen master Dương Không Lộ, to honor his merits. Dương Không Lộ was a national monk who built pagodas, helped the people, and served the court of the Lý Dynasty and the Đại Việt Kingdom; he is revered by the people of Hành Thiện as the village’s Patron Saint. Beyond his achievements in flood control to protect the people, Zen master Lộ also helped shape local cultural values and introduced traditional crafts in the northern delta region, teaching locals how to fish, make herbal medicines, cast bronze, and weave objects.
The Keo Pagoda Festival reflects the region’s agricultural traditions
Every year, in the second and ninth lunar months, the village of Hành Thiện holds the Keo Pagoda Festival. The festival in the ninth lunar month, called the autumn festival, takes place at the Outer Keo Pagoda (Thần Quang Tự). The grand event lasts several days, continuing numerous rituals and folk activities evoking the culture of the Red River Delta community. For many descendants of Hành Thiện, no matter how busy, they make time to return to the village for this occasion.
As an important, large-scale festival, preparations begin at the start of the ninth month. The pagoda grounds and worship areas are cleaned and decorated. In every corner of the village, people eagerly decorate and purchase new outfits in anticipation of the main event. Festive flags adorn street nooks and walkways, fluttering in the merry ambiance.
The festival lead (center) is trusted by the entire village to make important decisions about the festival.
A respected, kind elder is chosen by the village to serve as the festival leader. During the feudal era, the leader also had to be a high-ranking official. The criteria for this selection were strict, as this person was entrusted with making critical decisions for the festival. On the day of assuming the position, the leader is escorted to the pagoda in a ceremony and stays there until the festival concludes. Each leader can only serve one term.
The festival officially begins with the resonant sounds of drums, bells, and gongs during the launching ceremony. In the following days, a number of rituals take place, such as the procession of the saint and the raising of ceremonial banners, along with many community games like athletic events, traditional folk games like boat racing, lantern processions, tug-of-war, and water puppetry.
On the 12th and 15th days of the lunar month, the morning procession ceremony takes place around the pagoda. Elderly villagers recall the grand processions of the past when it circled the village, passing by every hamlet. Whenever the palanquin ambled past, the families would set up banquets of offerings to the Holy Ancestor. Nowadays, the route has been shortened to three rounds around the heritage site. The procession team — consisting of 300 people collectively called phù giá — dress in beautiful attire, carrying the palanquin and flags, and parading with parasols around the pond in front of the bell tower. The procession stretches for kilometers, and wherever it goes, vibrant colors and majestic music follow. When it reaches the waterside, boats tag along. On the boats are 10 young children seated in two symmetrical rows, with one steering, one beating a wooden bell, waving flags, and chanting to keep rhythm.
The procession launch, in which the palanquin is carried three times around the pagoda, is held on the mornings of the 12th and 15th of the lunar month.
The procession team consists of 300 people, dressed in beautiful attire, carrying the palanquin, flags, and parasols — collectively known as phù giá.
The ensemble accompanying the procession includes trống cơm, kèn tàu, hồ, nhị, níu, đàn tứ, and đàn nguyệt.
The kiệu sắc carries the royal edict bestowed upon Đức Thánh Tổ by the emperor.
Boats row in the lake as the procession moves along the shore.
Villagers pray for good fortune as the palanquin passes by.
Keo Pagoda does not have a resident abbot, so all rituals, ceremonies, and religious practices are performed by monks.
Hành Thiện residents of all ages eagerly watch the festival.
In addition to the procession, the Keo Pagoda festival includes many other formal worship rituals, such as phục miều y, thánh đản, and lễ tiễn đàn. Unique to Hành Thiện’s festival, alongside typical offerings like incense, candles, fruit, and tea, is a special offering: bánh giầy, a local delicacy.
In addition to the procession, the Keo Pagoda festival includes other worship rituals.
The ceremonial flag-raising ritual.
The ceremonial flag is a red silk strip with green borders, about 10 meters long and 50 centimeters wide.
The ritual flagpole is linked to a parable about the transformative power of Buddhist teachings, guiding beings to abandon wrongdoing and embrace righteousness.
To most visitors, the most exciting part of the festival is perhaps the traditional boat race of the 10 hamlets, held on the 12th and 15th. This boat race evokes Đức Thánh Tổ’s humble beginnings as a fisherman.
Each boat team consists of 10 people, distinguished by their uniform colors.
The boats used in the race are made of lightweight wood, shaped like a shuttle, with five compartments. They are painted, polished, and beautifully decorated. Each boat crew consists of 10 people: nine rowers and one helmsman. For Hành Thiện’s young men, being part of the racing team is a great honor. The crew is selected from the village’s most athletic young men. The helmsman must be experienced, skilled in tactics, and capable of organizing the team formation, as well as knowing how to take advantage of wind and wave directions to speed up the boat when going downstream and reduce drag when going upstream. Each team wears a different color for their uniform.
Rowers maintain a standing position throughout the race.
At the starting point near Keo Pagoda, along a canal section, the boats are anchored to poles along the bank. The race begins with three beats on the large drum. The boats move along the canal, then out onto the Ninh Cơ River. On the river, the boats must complete three laps before returning in the original direction. Unlike other types of boat races, in this race, rowers keep a standing position instead of sitting throughout the course. The back leg is extended, the front leg bent as a pivot, leaning forward while rowing. The teams in green, red, purple, and yellow uniforms chase each other fiercely. Their synchronized oars slice through the water creating a trail of white foam. Along the racecourse, buoys serve as checkpoints that the boats must pass. Each buoy is a bamboo pole; attached to the pole top is a leaf cluster that the teams must touch as they row past. If they can’t, the boat will be penalized.
Villagers cheer for the boat teams.
Young men from the hamlets swim in the river to cheer on the teams.
People from the hamlets gather, crowding along the banks of the Ninh Cơ River to cheer for their teams. The crowd stretches for over a kilometer. Shouts, applause, horns, and drums resound across the village. Many from various hamlets even swim into the river to support the teams, splashing water at the boats as they pass. The atmosphere is both intense and lively. After three hours, the boats begin returning to the starting position to present themselves. In the finishing ritual, the boats bump into the starting poles in reverse order amid applause and cheers from villagers lining both sides of the canal.
