One of Vietnam’s legendary romances between the God of the Mountains and a young princess is reenacted in a ceremony every year in Phu Tho province and laughter is the name of the game.

According to legend Son Tinh, the God of the Mountains and Forests, had a rival suitor when vying for the affections of Princess Mi Nuong, the sole daughter of the first Hung king. Thuy Tinh, the God of the Sea and Rivers, also wanted the beautiful young damsel as his bride.

But who didn’t? Princes had come from across the land to ask for Mi Nuong’s hand in marriage. But no one had convinced the king that they were a worthy husband. Of course, the king desired the best possible spouse for his daughter. So when Son Tinh and Thuy Tinh appeared the king was both delighted and perturbed. Both of the gods were handsome, talented and powerful. So which one should he choose?

He could not decide. Instead he came up with a challenge. He ordered the suitors to present him with 100 banh chung, 100 banh day, one elephant with nine tusks, one rooster with nine cockspurs and one horse with nine red manes. Whoever came back first with all of these gifts would win Mi Nuong’s hand in marriage.

The next day, as soon as the sun rose in the sky, Son Tinh promptly arrived with each of the requested presents and whisked the young belle away. But gods don’t make great losers. When Thuy Tinh showed up shortly afterwards, he was most aggrieved to discover he was too late. He shouted in such fury that the sea and the rivers rose up so that sea monsters could slither into the mountains and pinch Mi Nuong.

Son Tinh lifted the mountains above the rising water to defend his bride. Days of fierce fighting continued as a storm raged. Finally, Thuy Tinh gave up and retreated. The waters lowered and the tempest passed. However it is said that he never accepted losing Mi Nuong and every year he tries to take revenge on his rival. This is why floods, storms and monsoons still hit the nation so hard every year.

Today’s ceremony

In Phu Tho province’s Lam Thao district, a festival in honour of Chua Gai (The Lady) takes place in the last lunar month of the year. A 15-year-old beautiful and good-mannered girl is selected every year to play the role of Chua Gai, who represents Princess Mi Nuong.

During the festival, the young girl dresses up as Mi Nuong and is carried on a palanquin around the locality. Curiously the event is pure comedy. Activities must be as funny as possible to please the young bride. The more she smiles, the more affluent the village will be in the year to come.

“The procession of Chua Gai is an enactment of Son Tinh bringing Mi Nuong home,” says Pham Thi Nga, one of the artists taking part in the performance.
Legend has it that after the wedding, Mi Nuong returned to her home to see her parents. When Son Tinh came to take her to his home she cried and said she did not want to go.

Villagers tried to please the princess with amusing performances while advising her to go live with her husband. People were of course keen to thank Son Tinh, who helped develop agricultural production for the Viet tribes. The re-enactment is a way of continuing to thank Son Tinh and to ask for favourable weather and bumper crops in the year ahead.

Artists can perform quite freely. There is no set routine. They will tell stories and sing humourous folk songs. You will see classic characters from feudal society: scholars, peasants, fishermen, weavers, carpenters and traders. “Traditionally, the performance reminded people to maintain these jobs to earn a living,” says another performer Pham Huu Phu.

There are also other less idyllic characters. Phu plays the role of a man who disguises as a girl to avoid work that represents the more lazy and brazen-faced members of society.

On the day of the performance the atmosphere is jolly and uplifting. The sun is shining as performers dressed as fishermen, farmers, scholars and servants stroll past. Some stop to dance or sing. One female performer turns on a heel and asks some men playing peasants: “I would like to ask you a question. What is long and dangling in your trousers?”

“What is long and dangling in my trousers is the handle of a rice-hulling mill!” the men reply. The audience doubles over with laughter and Chua Gai giggles.

VietNamNet/Timeout