Every year, a festival dedicated to Vua Ba goddess in Viem Xa Village in northern Bac Ninh province has been acknowledged as a national intangible heritage.
The village festival opened in the northern province of Bac Ninh on March 22nd (the sixth day of the second lunar month).
The festival featured a re-enactment of the village’s legend and a palanquin procession, as well as a number of folk games, attracting hundreds of participants.
Locals consider the festival an occasion to gather after a year of hard work, to sing and pray for prosperity and bumper harvests.
Legend has it that Vua Ba was the daughter of the fifth Hung King. When she reached marriageable age, her father opened a contest, where men competed against each other to take possession of a ball and the winner would marry the princess. However, Vua Ba refused the marriage arrangement. Instead, she asked the King to allow her to travel the kingdom.
The ancient well of the village
When the princess and her servant left the citadel, a strong wind rose. It blew the entourage to Viem Trang hamlet, which later became Viem Xa village (unofficially known as Diem village). Back then, the place was a wilderness area occupied by reeds. Vua Ba came helping locals build their village and create a means of livelihood. She taught them cultivation and Quan Ho singing. After the princess passed away, villagers built a temple and held an annual festival to remind them of her significant contributions./.