An incense offering ceremony - part of the Loyalty Oath Festival at Dong Co temple, Hanoi. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – A ceremony was held on May 21 evening at Dong Co temple in Hanoi's Tay Ho district to celebrate the 995th anniversary of the Loyalty Oath Festival and receive a decision recognising the festival as National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2023.
The festival was first held in 1028 when King Ly Thai Tong ordered the establishment of the swearing altar, and initiated the swearing ceremony to teach courtiers, generals, soldiers and people in the country. The Loyalty Oath Festival at the Dong Co Temple and the Quang Chieu Lantern Festival used to be the two biggest and most important festivals of Thang Long capital city under the Ly Dynasty.
The Dong Co Temple Festival is the festival of the court, towards the origin. The national swearing festival has special significance, so the Emperor and the court pay much attention to it. Most of the dignitaries, mandarins in the court, and people in Thang Long citadel and other localities came to attend the festival with a spirit of loyalty, and filial piety, and pray for the nation's peace and prosperity. In the Tran Dynasty, the festival upheld the integrity of functionaries.
The special feature of the festival is the harmony between royal and folk rituals. This is a special festival because, according to scientists, there are only two swearing festivals in the North – one in Thuan Thien commune in Kien Thuy district of Hai Phong city, and the other at the Dong Co temple, Hanoi./.
