‘Diet Giao Long’, literally meaning ‘Killing Snake Devil’, is a performance presenting the tale about the village saint (Photo: VNA) The Hanoi People's Committee last week signed a decision to recognise thevillage, located in Viet Hung ward, Long Bien district, as a tourist site.
According to Secretary of the ward’s Party Committee Dinh Quang Luan, therecognition is an opportunity for the locality to perform well the preservationand promotion of the cultural values of the village’s thousand-year history.
The officer said that the ward will apply an action plan to attract moretourists to develop sustainable and cultural tourism based on distinctivefeatures of the village.
Located about 7km northeast of the city centre, Le Mat village is famous forsnake catching and raising, as well as delicious dishes prepared from snakesraised by locals.
The local villagers were told that their traditional occupation is associatedwith an ancient legend that a local young man named Hoang conquered a giantsnake-shaped sea monster.
In the old days, the village’s snake raising was for medical purposes and tomake snake wine. Later, the village has used snakes to create food delicacies,becoming a well-known culinary address in Hanoi.
Not only famous for snake specialties, Le Mat also has unique historical andcultural heritages that are attractive to tourists.
The ancient village is home to numerous of communal houses, pagodas andtemples.
Possessing the characteristics of ancient Hanoi, the village is home to severalcommunal houses, pagodas, temples and wells, with beautiful architecture andlandscapes. It is an ideal destination for both cultural and culinary tours.
The Le Mat village worships Buddha, the village’s temple honours a princess whois daughter of Emperor Ly Thai Tong in the 11th century, and Le Mat communalhouse glorifies the village saint, who explored and developed the village.
Visiting Le Mat village during its traditional festival that takes placeannually from the 19th to the 23rd day of the third lunar month, tourists canenjoy the unique festive atmosphere of the Red River Delta region in general,and of the ancient citadel of Thang Long and present-day Hanoi.
The five-day festival features three major activities, including the Holy WaterProcession and the Da Ngu (fishing in the village’s communal well) ritual.
The ‘Diet Giao Long’, literally means ‘Killing Snake Devil’, is a performancepresenting the tale about the village saint. The performance, taking place onthe yard of communal house, features a giant snake made from bamboo and cloth.
The festival will be wrapped up by another procession called Thap Tam Trai.
Every year, the Le Mat VillageTraditional Festival draws tens of thousands of tourists to enjoy its uniquefeatures./.
VNA
