From the 18th to the 19th day of the tenth lunar month, Nguyen Trung Truc Temple Festival is annually organized in Long Kien Commune, Cho Moi District, An Giang Province.
The temple is dedicated to Nguyen Trung Truc, the leader of an insurrection who rose up against the French in the South. Amongother exploits, he led the raid that resulted in the burning of theFrench warship Esperance. Despite repeated attempts to capture him,Nguyen Trung Truc continued to fight until 1868, when the French tookhis mother and a number of civilians hostage and threatened to killthem, he did not surrender. Nguyen Trung Truc turned himself in and wasexecuted by the French in the market place of Rach Gia on 27 October1868.
Thefirst temple structure was a simple building with a thatched roof; overthe years it has been enlarged and rebuilt several times. The lastreconstruction took place between 1964 and 1970. In the centre of themain hall is a portrait of Nguyen Trung Truc on an altar.
Inthe festival, the locals organize incense-offering ceremony, recallingsacrifices-offering ceremony, reperformance of the battle of destroyinga French warships on the Nhat Tao River in the 19th century. The festival involves boat rowing, Chinese chess and other fun games.
Since 2003, NguyenTrung Truc Temple Festival has been considered as one of nationalcultual events with many typical entertainment activities. The festivalattracts hundreds of visitors to participate. Beside traditionalceremory, a cultural program is held for the purpose of culturalexchange betweenethnic groups of Kinh - Hoa – Khmer. Moreover, there remains a number of interesting folk games.
Visiting An Giang Provinceon the occasion of Nguyen Trung Truc Temple Festival, you will be ableto explore and understand the cultural beauty in the region...
