Residents on Ly Son island in central Quang Ngai province commemoratedsailors of the Hoang Sa (Paracel) flotilla with a traditional ceremonyat An Vinh village temple on May 4.
The “Le khao lethe linh Hoang Sa” (Feast and Commemoration Festival for Hoang SaSoldiers), held on the 15th and 16th days of the third lunar monthannually, pays tribute to the men enlisted in the flotilla to patrol theHoang Sa and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos to tap natural resourcesand defend national island sovereignty.
According toVietnam’s feudal state history, under the Nguyen Lords’ reign in thesouth of Vietnam from the 16th – 18th century, 70 fishermen from AnVinh and An Hai villages around the Sa Ky estuary and the An Vinh and AnHai villages on Ly Son island were enlisted in the flotilla each year.
They sailed to Hoang Sa and Truong Sa to tap marineresources, survey sea routes, plant milestones, and erect stelesdeclaring national territory in the two archipelagos at the NguyenLords’ orders. They began their trip in the second lunar month andreturned six months later.
Since their mission wasfraught with danger, a ceremony was held before the trip to pray fortheir safety. Puppets representing the soldiers and basics like rice,salt, fuel wood, and drinking water were put on replica boats which werethen released into the sea to symbolically substitute for the soldiers.
The ceremony has been observed overcenturies by families in Ly Son and many coastal areas in Quang Ngai,attracting increasing participation from across Vietnam in recent years.
The Feast and Commemoration Festival is a preciousintangible cultural heritage that evidences Vietnam’s sovereignty overthe Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos, said Director of the Quang NgaiDepartment of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Nguyen Dang Vu.-VNA
The “Le khao lethe linh Hoang Sa” (Feast and Commemoration Festival for Hoang SaSoldiers), held on the 15th and 16th days of the third lunar monthannually, pays tribute to the men enlisted in the flotilla to patrol theHoang Sa and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos to tap natural resourcesand defend national island sovereignty.
According toVietnam’s feudal state history, under the Nguyen Lords’ reign in thesouth of Vietnam from the 16th – 18th century, 70 fishermen from AnVinh and An Hai villages around the Sa Ky estuary and the An Vinh and AnHai villages on Ly Son island were enlisted in the flotilla each year.
They sailed to Hoang Sa and Truong Sa to tap marineresources, survey sea routes, plant milestones, and erect stelesdeclaring national territory in the two archipelagos at the NguyenLords’ orders. They began their trip in the second lunar month andreturned six months later.
Since their mission wasfraught with danger, a ceremony was held before the trip to pray fortheir safety. Puppets representing the soldiers and basics like rice,salt, fuel wood, and drinking water were put on replica boats which werethen released into the sea to symbolically substitute for the soldiers.
The ceremony has been observed overcenturies by families in Ly Son and many coastal areas in Quang Ngai,attracting increasing participation from across Vietnam in recent years.
The Feast and Commemoration Festival is a preciousintangible cultural heritage that evidences Vietnam’s sovereignty overthe Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos, said Director of the Quang NgaiDepartment of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Nguyen Dang Vu.-VNA
