A ceremony is held in the northern mid-land province of Phu Tho on April 25 to commemorate the legendary ancestors of Vietnam, Father Lac Long Quan and Mother Au Co. (Photo: VNA) Traditional rituals were carried out at the templesdedicated to the ancestral couple in the Hung Kings Temple relic site.
Every year, activities worshipping them take place ahead of the commemoration of the Hung Kings, believed to bethe very first founders of Vietnam, on the 10th day of the third lunar month(which falls on April 29 this year).
Traditional rituals are carried out at the temples dedicated to the ancestral couple in the Hung Kings Temple relic site. (Photo: VNA) The activity has contributed to raising the OVs’pride of national traditions, while demonstrating the Party’s and the State’sattention to and responsibility for Vietnamese abroad, Hieu said.
A delegation of over 100 overseas Vietnamese from more than 20 countries worldwide offere incence to the Hung Kings. (Photo: VNA)
Legend has it that Lac Long Quan (real name SungLam, son of Kinh Duong Vuong and Than Long Nu) married Au Co (the fairydaughter of De Lai). Au Co then went on to give birth to a pouch filled withone hundred eggs, which hatched into a hundred sons. However, soonthereafter, Lac Long Quan and Au Co separated. Lac Long Quan went to the coastwith 50 of the children, while Au Co went to the highlands with the rest.
Their eldest son was made king, who named thecountry Van Lang and set up the capital in Phong Chau (modern-day Viet Tri cityin Phu Tho province), beginning the 18 reigns of the Hung Kings.
The kings chose Nghia Linh Mountain, the highest inthe region, to perform rituals devoted to rice and sun deities to pray for bumper crops.
To honour their great contributions, a complex oftemples dedicated to them was built on Nghia Linh Mountain, and the 10th day ofthe third lunar month serves as the national commemorative anniversary for thekings.
The worship of the Hung Kings, closely related tothe ancestral worship traditions of most Vietnamese families, was recognised aspart of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2012./.
VNA
