Cultural authority applies for Unesco heritage status for festival

THE cultural authority of the southern province of An Giang is preparing documents for the Ba Chua Xu (The Lady of the Realm) Festival in Chau Doc to be recognised as an intangible cultural heritage by the UN cultural agency Unesco.

Ba Chua Xu is a goddess protecting locals who live in the southern region. Shrines that worship her can be found in many places, including Sam Mountain in An Giang Province, Go Thap in Dong Thap Province, and HCM City, particularly in District 9 and Nha Be

District.

Ba Chua Xu Festival is one of the biggest religious events in the South, attracting nearly two million pilgrims yearly.

In the southern culture, Ba Chua Xu represents an image of a protector of the Vietnamese border and a tutelary of prosperity and health, and has many names, including Chua Xu Thanh Mau (Holly Mother of the Realm).

In addition to communal houses across villages, the Lady of the

Realm is worshipped in small shrines and even in Buddhist temples, usually represented by glass paintings, and wooden or cement statues.

The festival in Chau Doc’s Sam Mountain is held from the 23rd to the 27th day of the fourth lunar month, with the main rituals on the 25th.

However, pilgrims can visit Chau Doc as early as January to experience the complex of historical and cultural relics such as the ancient pagoda of Tay Anh, Hang Pagoda,

Bac Van Hill, Da Chet Hill, Tao Ngo Garden, and the Thoai Ngoc Hau Mausoleum, which is home to the protector of the southwestern border under the Nguyen Dynasty.

Ba Chua Xu Temple was recognised as a national monument in 1980.

The design and scale of the temple was relatively small when it was first built in Chau Doc in the early 19th century. After many years of upgrade, it is now one of the biggest temples in Vietnam.

The worship of the Lady of the Realm contains different cultural layers, making it difficult to trace back the origin or background of the Lady, experts have said.

Some notable influences on the worship can be seen in folk culture, Buddhism and Taoism, among other beliefs.

Pilgrims who flock to the festival tend to pray for fortune, health and peace in life.

The Ba Chua Xu Festival was recognised as a National Intangible Heritage in 2014.