
The procession from communalhouses and temples of seven localities in the vicinity of Hung Kings Temple to the historical relic site reenacted ancestorworship-related practices by local residents and took place as part of the HungKings Temple Festival.
Legendhas it that Lac Long Quan (son of Kinh Duong Vuong and Than Long Nu) married AuCo (the fairy daughter of De Lai). Au Co gave birth to a pouch filled with onehundred eggs, which hatched into a hundred sons. However, soon thereafter, LacLong Quan and Au Co separated. Lac Long Quan went to the coast with 50 of thechildren, 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 (now Viet Tri cityin Phu Tho province), beginning the 18 reigns of the Hung Kings.
The kings chose Nghia Linh Mountain, the highestin the region, to perform rituals devoted to rice and sun deities to pray forbumper 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, which falls on April 18 this year, serves as thenational commemorative anniversary for the Hung Kings.
The worship of the Hung Kings, closely related tothe Vietnamese people’s tradition of ancestor worship, was recognised as partof the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2012./.