Son Xuyen Esplanade was a place for the cult of Rivers and Mounts. There were also in Hue, in the past Nam Giao esplanade for the Heaven and Xa Tac esplanade for the Earth and Cereal. These places and ritual activities were all for the wish of peaceful country and good harvest.
Under the Nguyen, each province had one Son Xuyen esplanade. In Thua Thien province (present day Thua Thien Hue province), Son Xuyen esplanade was built in 1852 in Tu Duc reign at the former Duong Xuan commune where is now within the area of Phuong Duc primary school (No. 245 Bui Thi Xuan Street, Hue city).
The construction of Son Xuyen esplanade was built based on the model of Xa Tac esplanade. In monarchical time, the sacrificing ceremony was annually conducted in lunar month February and August. In the ceremony, main offerings were an ox, a pig and variety of foods, wine, tea, etc. All the ceremony participants had to wear their grand audience’s costumes.
The organization of Son Xuyen ceremony had been implemented by the imperial court until 1889, but the relics of Son Xuyen construction still partly remain.
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