Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh beat the drum to open the festival (Source: congthuong.vn) Bac Ninh (VNA) – A festival was held in the northern province of Bac Ninh on February 20 to commemorate the 4,810th death anniversary of Kinh Duong Vuong – known as the first king of the Vietnamese people.
Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh attended the event, ceremoniously beating the drum to open the festival.
The Kinh Duong Vuong traditional festival has long been preserved to show the people’s deep gratitude to their ancestors who founded the nation, as well as demonstrating their hope for peace, prosperity, and optimum weather conditions.
This year, the festival is taking place from February 20-22 and will feature traditional rituals, cultural and sports activities, and folk games.
Kinh Duong Vuong ruled over Xich Quy in 2879BC. Legend has it that Lac Long Quan (real name Sung Lam and the son of Kinh Duong Vuong and Than Long Nu) married Au Co (the fairy daughter of De Lai). Au Co then went on to give birth to a pouch filled with one hundred eggs, which soon hatched into a hundred sons, believed to be Vietnam’s ancestors. However, soon thereafter, Lac Long Quan and Au Co separated. Lac Long Quan went to the coast with 50 of the children, while Au Co went to the highlands with the rest.
Their eldest son was made king, who named the country Van Lang and set up the capital in Phong Chau (nowadays Viet Tri City, in the northern midland province of Phu Tho), beginning the 18 dynasties of the Hung Kings.
The Kinh Duong Vuong temple and tomb complex was constructed on the southern bank of the Duong river. With such significant value to the country’s past, the complex was recognised as a national historical and cultural relic site in 1993. –VNA
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