The “Khai Ha – Cau An” Festival which was recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2022 is annually held at the Lang Ong Ba Chieu, the ancient tomb of Le Van Duyet, a high-ranking Mandarin of the Nguyen Dynasty, in the city on the 7th day of the first lunar month.
The event saw the presence of the city's leaders, including Standing Vice Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee Nguyen Ho Hai, Vice Chairmen of the municipal People’s Committee Duong Anh Duc and Nguyen Van Dung, Director of the HCMC Department of Industry and Trade Bui Ta Hoang Vu, Secretary of the Party Committee of Binh Thanh District Vu Ngoc Tuat.
The delegation of the city’s leaders also attended rituals, including the ceremony of dismantling the Neu tree, the praying ceremony for peace, a ritual of taking the brush to write the first characters for the New Year, the Xay Chau rite of beating the drum to welcome the New Year and pray for ancestors to bring the whole country and HCMC a prosperous year.
Delegates offered incense to commemorate Marshal Le Van Duyet (1763-1832), a loyal mandarin of the Nguyen Dynasty with great contributions to the country.
Marshal Le Van Duyet was born in 1764 in Hoa Khanh Village of the Kien Phong District in Dinh Tuong Province (Cai Be District in the Mekong Delta of Tien Giang at present). He was commander of Gia Dinh Citadel, which included Bien Hoa in Dong Nai and present-day HCMC, in 1812-1815 and 1820-1832.
He was a pure, honest, and righteous Mandarin who always paid attention to taking care of people and protecting and expanding the Southern region.
The commander passed away in 1832. A mausoleum was built in the Ba Chieu area in HCMC’s Binh Thanh District in honor of the Governor of Gia Dinh Citadel. The ancient tomb of Le Van Duyet, also called Lang Ong Ba Chieu, was recognized as a national historical and cultural relic in 1989.
Vietnamese people have a custom of planting “Cay Neu” (Neu tree or Tet pole), a folk ritual during the lunar New Year holiday in front of their house on the last day of the lunar year to expel evils, worship deities and pray for good luck for the New Year. The pole will be taken down on the 7th day of the first lunar month to say farewell to their ancestors in heaven.
The pole is made of bamboo and decorated with lanterns, wind bells, traditional flags, and objects of faith, such as the leaves of a banyan tree and branches of a cactus. People believe that the things hung up on the "Cay Neu" will chase away all bad things and devils. Therefore people will have a happy New Year.
