Thay Thim Palace festival proposed as a national intangible cultural heritage

Binh Thuan (VNA) – The People’s Committee of Binh Thuan province has submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MoCST) requesting that Thay Thim Palace festival be added to the list of national intangible cultural heritage. This would preserve and promote the traditional culture of the festival.

The Thay Thim Palace Festival, which takes place in Tan Tien commune of La Gi township, has been maintained and associated with the local culture and traditional custom of the community for more than 130 years.

The so-called Thay Thim (Uncle and Aunt) is a way for the locals to show respect for the couple, who were talented and compassionate. They contributed to helping the poor in the locality.
The Thay Thim Palace is about 12 kilometers northwest from the centre of La Gi township. The relic was recognised by the Ministry of Culture and Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) as a national historical and cultural relic on September 27, 1997.

The Thay Thim Palace festival has long been considered a unique traditional festival that not only serves the local community but also serves as a common cultural heritage of many neighboring provinces and cities in the southern region. It is a lively environment that preserves and promotes traditional culture, shows national cultural identity, and contributes to enriching the treasures of the diverse Vietnamese cultural heritage.

Dinh Thay Thim, which literally translates as “Thay Thim Palace,” is a temple that was built over 130 years ago in La Gi township to worship a talented kind-hearted hermit called Thay (The Wizard) and his wife, Thim (The Aunt). Thay is said to have used magic to help indigent people.

The story of Thay Thim is a legend that has been passed down through generations. It has educational value that promotes humanity, morality, and noble personality through the two main characters, Thay and Thim. For local residents, they symbolize kindness and compassion.

Because the true names of this honorable couple are unknown, the local residents have respectfully called them Thay (Uncle) and Thim (Aunt) ever since their death. The previous generations of ancestors built a palace to worship and pay tribute to the couple on the 15th day of the 9th lunar month.

There are two big rituals that take place in the Thay Thim Palace every year. The Tao Mo “tomb sweeping” and Te Thu, which can be interpreted as “rites held in the autumn,” are organised from the 14th to the 16th day of the 9th lunar month annually. 

The Thay Thim Palace festival is a cultural - historical event that commemorates the merit and virtue of ancestors who did noble deeds, such as help people build boats, provide medicine to cure diseases and tame wild animals.

The festival includes many traditional rites, such as the rite of “Nghinh Than” (Welcoming Gods), which is a procession that brings Decree and Certificate of Recognition of the relic. Besides that, there are many cultural and sporting activities such as performances of a human chess match where people take the place of chess pieces, dragon & lion dances, folk games and art performances.

According to the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Thay Thim Palace festival has become quite a tourist attraction. People come to the province not only on the occasion of the festival, but also at other times of the year.

In recent years, the volume of tourists visiting the Thay Thim Palace festival has increased to over 600,000 visitors annually.

It is of utmost importance to continue preserving, promoting, and improving this festival in order to boost the province’s socioeconomic and cultural developments, as well as diversify this treasure of Vietnamese cultural heritage, the department said./.