The offering of eight provinces representing three regions in thecountry to the ancestors will be one of the new features during thedeath anniversary of the Hung Kings and the Hung Kings TempleFestival 2013.
The information was released by thePeople’s Committee of northern midland Phu Tho province at a pressbriefing in Hanoi on April 1.
The provinceswill include Lang Son and Ha Nam in the north; central Thanh Hoa, HaTinh, Dak Lak and Binh Dinh; and southern Dong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau,said the committee’s Vice Chairman Ha Ke San, who is also head of thefestival’s organising board.
On this occasion,the province will organise a ceremony to receive a certificaterecognising “the Worship of Hung Kings in Phu Tho” as an intangiblecultural heritage of humanity.
According to San, theopening ceremony on April 13 or the fourth day of the third lunar monthis expected to draw representatives from 24 countries in the UNESCOIntergovernmental Committee on implementing the 2003 Convention for theSafeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Itwill be broadcast live on the Vietnam Television’s channel 1 (VTV1), hesaid, adding that high-range fireworks will light up the Phu Tho sky onthe opening evening.
The week-long event will featurea wide range of activities, including a street festival on main roadsin Viet Tri city and Hung Kings Square, photo exhibitions on the worshipof Hung Kings and the culture of the ancestral land, a Chung and Giay(Square and Round) cake making competition and a Xoan singing programme.
The Worship of Hung Kings was recognised as anintangible cultural heritage of humanity at the seventh session of theUNESCO committee in Paris on December 6, 2012.
Vietnamese legends recount the rule of the 18 Hung King dynastiesduring the first period of Vietnamese history, between 2879-258 BC. Theworshipping rituals are closely related to the worship of ancestors thatis a tradition of most Vietnamese families and an important part of thepeople's spiritual lives. -VNA