Vietnam commemorates founders of nation respectfully and solemnly

A chung and day cake offering ritual is reenacted at the Hung Kings Temple Festival.

Nhan Dan – The collective spirit of Vietnamese people nationwide and around the world turns to the nation’s ancestry to celebrate the sacred national day of honouring the Hung Kings, founders of the nation.

Generations of Vietnamese have been taught about their ancestry and reminded to honour the Hung Kings for founding, building and preserving the nation stretching from the northern mountainous utmost to the southern fertile mudflat land, beloved seas and the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes.

Poems and songs about the nation’s ancestry have been etched in generations of minds, helping the Vietnamese understand the meaning of the words dong bao (the same embryo), which bears love and unity, and the meaning of the sacred symbolic day to commemorate the Hung Kings.

Communal spirit and sentiment seem to be attached to a larger family, one of the whole nation that is reflected in the national ancestry worship ritual. The unique ritual has been recognised by UNESCO as world intangible cultural heritage, an honour to the nation’s ethical principle of expressing gratitude to ancestors throughout history.

Major activities of the memorial day take place in Phu Tho province, where the Hung Kings Temple is located, while people and authorities across the country offer incense to commemorate the nation’s founders. More widely, overseas Vietnamese around the world also celebrate this national holiday.

This year’s festival is hosted by the Phu Tho provincial People’s Committee, with the participation of Bac Ninh, Quang Binh, Vinh Long and Long An provinces. At 7am this morning, Phu Tho province organised a traditional incense offering ceremony at the Thuong Temple on Nghia Linh Mountain in the Hung Kings historical relic site.

Earlier, Phu Tho province held ceremonies to commemorate the nation’s father, Lac Long Quan, and its mother, Au Co. A procession ceremony featured representatives of six communes and wards located around the relic site.

Today, incense offering ceremonies are also taking place at 73 relic sites, temples and Hung Kings memorial sites across the country.

The Hung Kings’ Memorial Day and the Hung Kings Temple Festival have been organised to traditional standards and with traditional rituals as an international event and festival, offering joyful and refreshing activities for people from all walks of life, visitors and pilgrims. The role of the community’s participation in the events has been elevated.

Hung Kings’ memorial day has become a festival of enhancing national unity, encouraging Vietnamese around the world to join hands to build a stronger and wealthier nation.

Understanding its responsibilites, Phu Tho province has worked with other localities to successfully organise the events, welcome and ensure safety for millions of visitors and pilgrims. Many projects on repairing components of the Hung Kings national historical relic site and reproducing traditional festivals, including traditional cultural activities of the ancient land of Phong Chau and other regions nationwide, have been carried out. These activities have been improved over the years in an educational purpose to create opportunities for people and visitors to enjoy refreshing and artistic activities.

Vietnam commemorates founders of nation respectfully and solemnly Releated Image(s)