Millions of people across the country annually flock to the sacred NghiaLinh mountain in the northern midland province of Phu Tho on theanniversary of the death of the Hung Kings, which falls on lunar March10, to pay tribute to the legendary national founders.
The worship ritual originates from ancestor worship rituals inVietnamese families and has become a significant cultural festival forthe people. It helps to link the past and the present and foster strongsentiments of Vietnamese people for their families and country.
The ritual is significant in the mind of Vietnamese people as itconfirms that they have the same father and mother. The origin remindsVietnamese to always unite, love and protect each other.
It is said that Hung Kings taught people how to plough and grow riceand granted vitality to land, houses, trees and livestock.
Therefore, the worship ritual demonstrates the moral saying, “When drinking the water, remembering its source”.
In recent times, more attention has been paid to the Hung Kings worship ritual.
According to the Vietnam Institute of Culture and Arts Studies, about20 percent of temples, communal houses and shrines relating to theritual were destroyed by time, war and weathering.
The community has requested the restoration of the sites for thisimportant festival, as well as related festivals and sacrifices.
Nguyen Ba Khiem, Deputy Director of the Phu Tho Department of Culture,Sports and Tourism, said many villages have voluntarily contributedmoney and human resources for the restoration of worship sites.
In several villages, the elders have themselves collected legends onthe Hung Kings and given them to researchers and heritage officers.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also established a databank on the Hung Kings Temple Festival to serve research and restorerelated customs which had almost been lost.
Pho Thoprovince continues its work on completing a dossier on the Hung Kingsworship ritual to seek UNESCO recognition as a World IntangibleCultural Heritage of Humanity.
The province has also launched an action plan to protect and develop the worship ritual.
Under the plan, Phu Tho completed an inventory of the ritual in theprovince and expanded the inventory to other localities nationwide andHung Kings worship sites in foreign countries.
Thelocality also collected and conducted research on ceremonies and customsrelating to the ritual while supporting teaching about the ceremoniesfor future generations.
The province successfullyorganised a seminar on ancestor worship ritual in modern life and HungKing’s worship ritual in Vietnam , bringing together over 400 scholarsfrom the US , France , Japan and China and nearly 100 domesticscholars.
Nguyen Xuan Cac, Director of the HungKings Relic Site, said the anniversary of the death of the Hung Kingsand the Hung Kings Temple Festival are held annually with the aim tobuild and develop a modern Vietnamese culture with nationalcharacteristics.
In an effort to preserve theritual, the National Cultural Heritage Department and the VietnamInstitute of Culture and Arts Studies have coordinated with the Ministryof Education and Training to add Hung Kings worship ritual legends intoschool curricula at all levels.-VNA
The worship ritual originates from ancestor worship rituals inVietnamese families and has become a significant cultural festival forthe people. It helps to link the past and the present and foster strongsentiments of Vietnamese people for their families and country.
The ritual is significant in the mind of Vietnamese people as itconfirms that they have the same father and mother. The origin remindsVietnamese to always unite, love and protect each other.
It is said that Hung Kings taught people how to plough and grow riceand granted vitality to land, houses, trees and livestock.
Therefore, the worship ritual demonstrates the moral saying, “When drinking the water, remembering its source”.
In recent times, more attention has been paid to the Hung Kings worship ritual.
According to the Vietnam Institute of Culture and Arts Studies, about20 percent of temples, communal houses and shrines relating to theritual were destroyed by time, war and weathering.
The community has requested the restoration of the sites for thisimportant festival, as well as related festivals and sacrifices.
Nguyen Ba Khiem, Deputy Director of the Phu Tho Department of Culture,Sports and Tourism, said many villages have voluntarily contributedmoney and human resources for the restoration of worship sites.
In several villages, the elders have themselves collected legends onthe Hung Kings and given them to researchers and heritage officers.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also established a databank on the Hung Kings Temple Festival to serve research and restorerelated customs which had almost been lost.
Pho Thoprovince continues its work on completing a dossier on the Hung Kingsworship ritual to seek UNESCO recognition as a World IntangibleCultural Heritage of Humanity.
The province has also launched an action plan to protect and develop the worship ritual.
Under the plan, Phu Tho completed an inventory of the ritual in theprovince and expanded the inventory to other localities nationwide andHung Kings worship sites in foreign countries.
Thelocality also collected and conducted research on ceremonies and customsrelating to the ritual while supporting teaching about the ceremoniesfor future generations.
The province successfullyorganised a seminar on ancestor worship ritual in modern life and HungKing’s worship ritual in Vietnam , bringing together over 400 scholarsfrom the US , France , Japan and China and nearly 100 domesticscholars.
Nguyen Xuan Cac, Director of the HungKings Relic Site, said the anniversary of the death of the Hung Kingsand the Hung Kings Temple Festival are held annually with the aim tobuild and develop a modern Vietnamese culture with nationalcharacteristics.
In an effort to preserve theritual, the National Cultural Heritage Department and the VietnamInstitute of Culture and Arts Studies have coordinated with the Ministryof Education and Training to add Hung Kings worship ritual legends intoschool curricula at all levels.-VNA
