The palanquin and offering procession was organised by seven communes and wards surrounding the Hung Kings Temple Complex (Source: VNA) PhuTho (VNA) – Some 2.5 million people flocked to the northern midland province of Phu Tho to celebratethe annual Hung Kings Temple Festival as of April 23 (the eight day of thethird lunar month), said the organising board.
During the last three days, a huge number of peopleof all ages and religions arrived in the Hung Kings Temple Complex to paytribute to their ancestors and enjoy cultural activities held in the framework ofthe festival.
On April23, a palanquin andoffering procession was organised by seven communes and wards surrounding theHung Kings Temple Complex namely Chu Hoa, Hung Lo, Kim Duc, Van Phu, Hy Cuong ofViet Tri city, and Tien Kien and Hung Son of Lam Thao district.
The procession was led by lion dancers, followedby groups carrying national flag and festive flags and others playing ritualdrums and gongs.
Meanwhile, another group carried offerings of flowers, chung cakes (squareglutinous rice cakes), banh day (round glutinous rice cakes) and their localspecialties.
The same day’s morning, a chung cake and banh day(day cake) making contest was held with the involvement of 13 local teams andone team from the northern province of Thai Nguyen who each had 10 minutes tomake cakes.
A book festival and a photo exhibition also opened in the square of Van LangPark in Viet Tri city, displaying 15,000 book titles and 100 artworks highlightingPhu Tho’s landscapes and people.
The local authorities of Phu Tho have prepared extensively for the Hung Kingscommemoration festival with both spiritual and festive ceremonies. This year’sevent is jointly organised by the southern provinces of Binh Duong and KienGiang, the central province of Quang Nam and Thai Nguyen. It runs from April 21– April 25 (the 6th-10th of the third lunar month).
According to the organising board, this year’sfestival is being organised safely and efficiently, leaving generally positiveimpression on visitors.
The Hung Kings Temple festival has becomea standout festival that attracts a throng of domestic visitors and Vietnameseexpatriates every year.
Vietnamese legend has it that Lac Long Quan,whose real name was Sung Lam, the son of Kinh Duong Vuong and Than Long Nu,married the daughter of Heaven’s God De Lai, fairy Au Co.
Au Co then gave birth to a pouch filled with 100eggs, which soon hatched into 100 sons, believed to be Vietnam’s ancestors.
The couple then decided to separate in order topopulate the land. Half of the children followed their mother to the highlands,while the rest went with their father to the sea.
Their eldest son was made the king, who namedthe country Van Lang and set up the capital in Phong Chau (nowadays Viet Tricity), starting the 18 reigns of the Hung Kings. Ruling the country for 18generations, the Hung Kings taught the people how to grow wet rice. They choseNghia Linh Mountain, the highest in the region, to perform rituals devoted torice and sun deities to pray.
To honour their great history, a complex oftemples dedicated to them was built on Nghia Linh Mountain, and the tenth dayof the third lunar month serves as the national commemorative anniversary forthe kings.
The worshipping rituals of the Hung Kings arerelated to ancestral worshipping traditions of most Vietnamese families, whichforms an important part of people’s spiritual lives. It was recognised by theUNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012.
The Commemoration of Lac Long Quan, Au Co andthe Hung Kings is held annually at the Hung Kings Temple. Millions of peopleflock to the site to attend the Hung Kings Temple Festival every year.-VNA
VNA
