The procession from communal houses and temples of seven localities in the vicinity of Hung Kings Temple to the historical relic site reenacted ancestor worship-related practices by local residents and took place as part of the Hung Kings Temple Festival.

Legend has it that Lac Long Quan (son of Kinh Duong Vuong and Than Long Nu) married Au Co (the fairy daughter of De Lai). Au Co gave birth to a pouch filled with one hundred eggs, which hatched into a hundred sons. However, soon thereafter, Lac Long Quan and Au Co separated. Lac Long Quan went to the coast with 50 of the children, while Au Co went to the highlands with the rest.

Their eldest son was made king, who named the country Van Lang and set up the capital in Phong Chau (now Viet Tri city in Phu Tho province), beginning the 18 reigns of the Hung Kings.

The kings chose Nghia Linh Mountain, the highest in the region, to perform rituals devoted to rice and sun deities to pray for bumper crops.

To honour their great contributions, a complex of temples dedicated to them was built on Nghia Linh Mountain, and the 10th day of the third lunar month, which falls on April 18 this year, serves as the national commemorative anniversary for the Hung Kings.

The worship of the Hung Kings, closely related to the Vietnamese people’s tradition of ancestor worship, was recognised as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2012.

Leaders commemorate Hung Kings in Phu Tho province

State President Vo Van Thuong, central and local officials, along with thousands of people offered incense in commemoration of the Hung Kings, the legendary founders of Vietnam, at the Hung Kings Temple in the northern province of Phu Tho on April 29 (the 10th day of the third lunar month).

Phu Tho villagers holds procession to commemorate Hung Kings

Residents of seven communes near the Hung Kings Temple in Phu Tho Province held a palanquin procession on April 26 to commemorate the nation’s legendary founders.

Hung Kings Temple Festival opens in Phu Tho

The Phu Tho provincial authorities held a ceremony at Hung Vuong Square in Viet Tri City on April 21 to kick off the Hung Kings Temple Festival 2023, the Culture and Tourism Week, the festival honouring the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage, and the celebration of the 20-year implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Vietnam.

Hanoi’s ‘Ca tru’ singing and Giong festival to be introduced at Hung Kings Temple Festival

‘Ca tru’ (ceremonial singing) and traditional Giong festival - two UNESCO-recognised intangible cultural heritages of Hanoi, will be introduced to visitors within the framework of Hung Kings Temple Festival, which is taking place in Phu Tho province from April 20 to 29.

Source: VNA