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The village festival of Le Mat
Offerings to the Village Saint. Le Mat hamlet in Viet Hung Village, Gia Lam District, about seven kilometres northeast from downtown Hanoi, has been famous for a long-standing trade, ie snake catching and breeding, snake wine and tonics and snake dishes. Old people in the hamlet said that snake catching and breeding in Le Mat has been practiced for almost 900 years. It is handed down from generation to generation among the villagers who consider it a valuable asset of their ancestors. Visitors to Le Mat nowadays, both domestic and foreign, want to know more about the traditional craft and enjoy special dishes and tonics made from snakes.
Every year on the 20th of the lunar March, people of Le Mat hold a festival to show their gratitude to their Patron Saint, who was said to be the man who reclaimed the land and established the present-day villages, including Le Mat hamlet. A legend goes that the princess of King Ly Thai Tong (1028-1054) one day took a boat trip on the Nguyet Duc River (present-day Duong River). Suddenly, a huge snake appeared, causing big waves and turned the boat over. The princess was in great danger. A man of the Hoang family, who worked nearby the river, ran into the water to fight the snake and save the princess. To reward him, the King granted the man gold, jewelry and a high-ranking job. But the man refused it all, instead he asked for the King's permission to reclaim the land near the capital and establish residential quarters for the poor people. The King accepted his proposal. Together with the people of Le Mat, the man reclaimed the waste land and turned it into a fertile farming area. He also set up 13 farms, including the present-day Cong Vi, Giang Vo, Lieu Giai, Kim Ma, Ngoc Ha, etc. When the man died, people of these 13 farms worshipped him as their Patron Saint in memory of his devotion to the villagers. On the festive day, 13 delegations from the former 13 farms bring offerings to Le Mat Temple where the Patron Saint of the Hoang family is worshipped.
The festival starts with a water procession. The villagers fetch water from the village pond, pour it into a big porcelain jar and put the jar on a palanquin and bring it to the Temple. The villagers also catch a big fish from the pond, put it on a tray and cover it with a red cloth, and bring it to the Temple as an offering to the Patron Saint. After finishing all ceremonial prayers, the villagers gather at the temple yard to see the performance of the young man killing the snake and saving the princess. The snake is made of bamboo plates covered with cloth, 60metres long and 60centimetres in diameter and looks ferocious. It is managed by a dozen young men. The well-dressed princess and her assistants dance beautifully. The man of the Hoang family, in red armour dress and holding a sharp lance, performs around the snake before killing it and saving the princess all to the sound of the drum beating and cheerful cries from the villagers. Le Mat festival is a good chance for the villagers to show respect to their ancestors. In addition, young people can also understand more about the history of their native land through the ups and downs, hence they cherish more what they are enjoying in the land with nearly 1,000 years of history and development.
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