The Tran Temple Festival 2015 kicked off on March 3 in Tam Duong hamlet, Tien Duc commune, Hung Ha district in the Red River province of Thai Binh.

A ceremony was also held on the occasion to receive the special national relic honour for the Temple complex dedicated to the Kings of the Tran Dynasty ((1225-1400).

The Temple was built in the Long Hung land where the Tran Dynasty ascended more than 700 years ago to commemorate Tran Kings, who always returned to where is now Hung Ha district to perform ceremonies proclaiming their victories over invaders to the ancestors.

In 2014, the Tran Temple festival, which includes many original rituals and customs typical of the Tran Dynasty such as the procession of water, fish dishes contest, folk games, folk songs and dances, was recognised as the national intangible cultural heritage.

This year’s festival, which will last till March 8, features activities re-enacting the development milestones of the Tran Dynasty and honouring its Kings.

A ceremony dedicated to the Tran Dynasty's ancestor, Tran Kinh, will be organised on March 8, the 18th day of the first lunar month.

Earlier on March 1, a Tran Temple Festival kicked off in northern Nam Dinh province.

A ceremony for distributing papers stamped with the holy royal seals will take place in Nam Dinh in the night of March 4 - the first full moon of the lunar new year.

Thai Binh is considered the birthplace of the Tran Kings' ancestors, while the Dynasty's first royal palaces were located in Nam Dinh.-VNA