Minister of Public Security Tran Dai Quang (front, third from right) offers incense at the pen brush opening ceremony in Quang Ninh (Source: danviet.vn) Hanoi (VNA) – A traditional pen-brush opening ceremony was launched at the Temple dedicated to Chu Van An in Phuong Hoang mountain, Chi Linh town, northern Hai Duong province on February 13.
Chu Van An (1292-1370) is a renowned Confucian, teacher, physician and high-ranking mandarin of the Tran Dynasty in Dai Viet (the ancient name of Vietnam).
Pen-brush opening, or “Khai But”, is a tradition which has existed for thousands of years in Vietnam, when scholars and writers penned a line of prose or poetry to begin a new-year writing period.
The same day, a similar ceremony was kicked off in Ha Long city, northern Quang Ninh province, seeing the attendance of Minister of Public Security Tran Dai Quang.
The event in the localities was attended by educators, including those retired, pupils, students, and state and provincial officials.
Pen-brush opening ceremony aims to promote the studious tradition of the Vietnamese people and honor the country’s education cause.
The Chu Van An Temple has hosted a lot of activities honouring role models in the education sector nationwide.-VNA
