Theceremony was an re-enactment of a custom dating back the Tran dynasty(1225-1400), when mandarins took out their seals after the Tet holiday,resuming administrative activities, including rewarding and conferringtitles.
It has become a tradition for Vietnamese to come here to get a stamp in hope for gook luck and happiness.
The event opened with a procession to take the seal from Co Trachtemple to Thien Truong temple, where 14 kings of the Tran dynasty areworshipped.
Following a short speech of a local official praisingthe great accomplishment of the Tran Dynasty, the seal opening ceremonywas held in a simple and solemnly manner in line with the traditionalrites.
Replicas of the Tran temple’s seal were distributed tothe public from 7am on the 15th day of the first lunar month till theend of the lunar month, helping ease the crowd of pilgrims./.