Last year’s revival of the Xa Tac Devotion Ritual was a resounding success

More than 500 officials and residents of Hue city on the central coast will participate this evening in a ritual dedicated to the local spirits of wet rice cultivation that was revived in 2008 after a lapse of over 50 years.

Clean soil taken from every town and old palace in Vietnam was used to build the square where homage was paid (and is being paid again) to the soil spirit Xa and the grain spirit Tac.

The Xa Tac Devotion Ritual originated during the Anterior Le Dynasty (980-1009) and was held twice every year until the fall of the House of Nguyen, Vietnam’s last ruling family, which is why the Xa Tac altar in Hue is the least damaged of its kind.

Phung Phu, director of the Hue Monuments Conservation Center, says tonight’s ceremony will bear a close resemblance to the spectacles of old by having a king, scholars, generals, soldiers, dancers, elephants and horses participating in all 10 rituals.

The Xa Tac revival at last year’s Festival of Hue was a great success and prompted the center to make it an annual affair. From next year, it will likely be staged in February.

Unlike 2008, tonight’s proceedings will be joined by 120 provincial elders performing as notables.

The conservation center is currently preparing an application for UNESCO to recognize the ceremony as an intangible cultural heritage of mankind.

Reported by Ha Dinh Nguyen