The Yen Phu Incense Village is in the Yen Phu city gate, located on the edge of the mysterious West Lake in Tay Ho District , Hanoi.
According to the some documentation and the village elders, Chinese handed down the work of making incense since the 13th century. The Buddhism and the custom of burning incense was developed here and many other places. In the 20th century, making incense developed strongly and not only attracts people in this village but also in the other villages like An Duong, Nghi Tam with a large of people.
In the early time of 1980, there was the sign of oblivion as many families changed their job. But this career is recovered and developed until now.
Even though the incense business is not a cushy job and high income, inhabitants still take their job because of the traditional career. They are used to living on it and find the other suitable job difficult. Thus, this is the hard job; It spends a lot of work stage. Everybody in a work family has to work hard for each division labor in the task from normal to complex. The young and old often does the normal job as sharpening stick, drying and collection, parking goods. The most complex stage is the mixture of spice incense between the sawdust and spice materials. This work is carried out by the experienced worker because it affects on the quality of incense.
Everyday, there are lots means of transport bring materials to village and merchants come here to take incense to the districts all the country. The incense village is more crowded in Tet holiday and the late time of year because the demand of incense is high. Besides the family live on producing incense, some families carry on business relating to incense like materials, agency, so they live on incense too.
Yen Phu Communal House Festival
The Yen Phu Communal House worship Uy Do Linh Lang, is located on a peninsula of Ho Tay (West Lake), Yen Phu Village. On the 9th day of the second lunar month, villagers hold the moc duc (washing statues) ceremony, row to the middle of Ho Tay to get fresh water for washing statues. There is barbecued beef worshipping on the main festival day (the 10th day of the second lunar month). The returning palace ceremony with rituals: bat buu flag (eight weapons for ornaments on the flag), long dinh (imperial palace), bat am musical band, procession of the Mother with bat cong (eight poles) palanquin, tu linh (dragon, unicorn, tortoise, phoenix) dancing for praying for good fortune. There is also the skiff-rowing race, which starts from the back of the communal house to Tran Quoc Pagoda then returns to the communal house.
