Cau Ngu Festival – Hue

Cau Ngu Festival is a traditional festival of Thai Duong Village in Huong Hai commune, Huong Dien District, Hue, north-central Vietnam. The Cau Ngu festival is organized annually on the 12th day of the 1st month in memory of the village tutelary genie Truong Quy Cong. His alias is Truong Thieu, and he was a native of the North who came to the village to settle, teach the locals how to fish, and trade junks.

On the eve of the Cau Ngu festival, the entire village begins making offerings. Late at night, the “fish worshipping ceremony ” occurs, where people pray for peace and the future abundance of fish. Every three years, games representing sea fishing activities are organized such as the “fish catching” game and “net-casting” game. After these games, people tend to go watch the rowing skiffs. The “net-casting” performance is a form of entertainment which is characterized by rituals to commemorate the merits of the village tutelary genie.