President Tran Dai Quang offers incense at a spring ceremony held at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel’s Kinh Thien Palace on February 24(Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – President Tran Dai Quang offered incense andreleased birds at a spring ceremony held at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel’s KinhThien Palace on February 24 (the ninth day of the first lunar month).
The incense offering ceremony in early spring aims to commemorate ancestral kingsand those who have made contribution to the nation as well as pray for thecountry’s prosperity.
Various traditional rituals were held during the ceremony, including palanquinprocession staged by more than 300 people, a dragon dance, drum performance andfolk music performance.
In the past, the early spring ceremony was held by kings to pay tribute toancestors and pray for peace and happiness for the nation. The ceremony hasbeen revived in recent years to honour the tradition of the old royal capital.
The incense offering ceremony is part of a series of activities celebrating theLunar New Year organised from the 23rd day of the twelfth lunarmonth to the 15th day of the first lunar month by the ThangLong-Hanoi heritage conservation centre.
The Imperial Citadel of Thang Long was built in the 11th century during the Lydynasty to mark the independence of Dai Viet, the former name of Vietnam. Thecentral sector of the citadel was listed as a UNESCO’s World Heritage Site inJuly 2010.-VNA
VNA
