Phu Tho (VNA) - A festival dedicatedto Mother Au Co – the legendary mother of Vietnam – opened in Hien Luongcommune of Ha Hoa district, the northern province of Phu Tho, on February 22(or the seventh day of the first month of the Year of the Dog).
The festival began with a ritual worshipping theguardian deity at the local communal house. A palanquin procession took offeringsfrom the communal house to the Au Co Temple to pray for peace, good weather,prosperity and happiness.
The Au Co Temple festival marked the startof festive activities in Phu Tho in spring.
Legend has it that Au Co, who was a fairy,descended to earth on the seventh day of the first lunar month. She met withLac Long Quan and gave birth to 100 sons. Fifty of them followed their fatherto the sea and the other half followed their mother to the mountains in theupstream Red River.
When they arrived in the area which is now HienLuong commune, Au Co and her children were so captivated by the area’sfertility and stunning landscapes that they decided to settle there, and thiswas where the eldest son was crowned as Hung King – the legendary founder ofVietnam.
Mother Au Co taught locals to practise waterrice cultivation, plant mulberry trees, and breed silk worms before returning toheaven on the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month.
Vietnam has about 8,000 festivals each year. Ofwhich, nearly 90 percent are traditional festivals, 6 percent are religiousones and 4 percent are historical ones.-VNA