Ba Chua Kho temple festival in Bac Ninh

Ba Chua Kho Temple Festival is one of the larg festivals in the spring in Vietnam. Ba Chua Kho Temple Festival is held on the 14th day of the first lunar month in Co Me Village, Vu Ninh, Bac Ninh to worship Ba Chua Kho (The Queen of Stock) and four gods: Thien phu, Dia phu, Thuy phu, and Nhac phu. The festival includes incense offering ceremony, custom of borrowing money from her (only symbolizing) to pray for property and good luck.

Photo by Thang Nguyen

According to the legend, Ba Chua Kho is a woman of faith, taking paint, hard-working, after getting married to Ly king, she asked the King for arriving to Vu Ninh region (Vu Ninh Ward, Bac Ninh City nowadays), gather the people to set up the village, cultivate the wild field, hold the production in 72 farms. She also held the taking care of food stocks, good storage of food for military during and after the win of Tong invader in Nhu Nguyet River in 1076. In 1075, Tong dynasty invaded Vietnam, Ba Chua Kho was heroic passed away at the Nhu Nguyet river front. This is a decisive and ultimately battle in the war against the Tong Dynasty (1075-1077). To be appreciated for patriotism of her, the king had awarded her as “Phúc Thần”, Co Me people show their gratefulness and set up the temple at the position of the food store in the past.