Local officials receive Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc's decision recognising the Con Son Tu Phuc Tu Bi stele in Con Son Pagoda as a national treasure (Source: VNA) HaiDuong (VNA) - The Con Son-Kiep Bac 2018Spring Festival opened at Con Son Pagoda in the northern province of Hai Duongon March 3 (the 16th day of the first lunar month).
The annual festival commemorates the death anniversary ofmonk Huyen Quang, who died in 1334 and was the third founder of the Truc LamZen sect.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vice Chairman of theprovincial People’s Committee Luong Van Cau highlighted the historical significanceof the site Con Son – Kiep Bac, saying that it reflects great contributions ofthe Truc Lam Zen sect as well as monk Huyen Quang to the national constructionand safeguard in the past.
Also on the occasion, the provincial People’s Committee announced the Decision byPrime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc recognising the Con Son Tu Phuc Tu Bi stele inCon Son Pagoda as a national treasure.
The Con Son Tu Phuc Tu Bi stele dates back to the Le TrungHung (16th -18th century) Dynasty under the reign ofHoang Dinh (Le Kinh Tong) (1601-1619). It is a precious material aboutliterature, history and fine art, especially for the study of history of ConSon Pagoda.
Words on the hexagon-shaped stele affirm that Con Son Pagoda was built from the18th century, and it was where monk Huyen Quang was abbot.
Prior to the opening ceremony of the festival, there was a ceremonialwater-carrying parade staged by hundreds of people from Con Son Pagoda to ConSon Lake, where monks and nuns offered incense.
The festival, to run until March 10, will alsofeature a string of cultural and sport activities such as incense offerings,worshipping rituals at Ngu Nhac Mountain, a mud banger festival (an ancientgame involving tossing a large, shaped piece of clay, approx. 30kg and tryingto make the loudest bag from it smashing apart), a wrestling contest, and acake making contest.
Covering a total area of eight hectares in Chi Linh district,the Con Son-Kiep Bac historical site is entwined with the lives and causes ofTran Hung Dao and the Great Man of Culture of the World, Nguyen Trai.
The site was a defence line built at the end ofthe 13th century to protect the Thang Long Imperial Citadel. It witnessedimportant battles between the Tran dynasty army and the Yuan-Mongolinvaders.
Con Son, surrounded by pine trees, saw the pureand upright life of Nguyen Trai (1380-1442), one of Vietnam’s most famous poetsand writers.
With its special values, the Con Son – Kiep Bacwas recognised as a national heritage site in 1962 and a special nationalheritage site in 2012. In 2013, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourismnamed the Spring Festival in Con Son Pagoda and the Autumn Festival in Kiep BacTemple as national intangible cultural heritages. -VNA
VNA
