(VOVworld) –The main ceremony of the Hung Kings worship rituals is held on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month at the Hung Kings Temple on Nghia Linh mountain, Phu Tho province. On this day Vietnamese no matter where they live turn their hearts to their homeland and express gratitude to the Hung Kings, the founders of the Vietnamese nation.
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Procession at the Hung Kings' Temple Festival in 2016
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Vietnamese people commemorate the Hung Kings’ death anniversary on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month and express gratitude for their contributions to national construction and defense.
Hung Kings worship rituals
The Hung Kings worship rituals are a folk belief. Pilgrims commemorate the Hung Kings and their legendary dragon father and fairy mother. Communities make offerings of rice delicacies such as square cakes and round cakes, and there are folk arts performances, bronze drumming, Xoan singing, prayers, and games.
The practice of worshipping the Hung Kings in Phu Tho province has been recognised by UNESCO as a world intangible cultural heritage on December 6, 2012. UNESCO said the Hung Kings ritual reflects Vietnamese people’s respect for their ancestors, which boosts national pride and connects the community. Historian Nguyen Khac Thuan said: “Vietnam has 54 ethnic groups who all descend from the Hung Kings, the legendary founders of the Vietnamese nation. Vietnamese people are proud of their race, descended from dragon father Lac and fairy mother Au Co, who gave birth to a pouch of 100 eggs that hatched into 100 children. 50 children followed their mother to live on the mountain and 50 followed their father to the sea. They formed Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups.”
Hung Kings worship rituals unite people
There are 326 relic sites in Phu Tho province and 1,400 relic sites nationwide dedicated to the Hung Kings and other figures in the reign of the eighteen different dynasties of Hung Kings. Nguyen Van Phong is visiting the Hung Kings temple in Phu Tho: “I’m from Hai Phong. I’ve been to the Hung Kings temple twice. I want to look back at national history and pay tribute to our ancestors.”
The worship of the Hung Kings inspires national pride and enhances unity among Vietnamese people.