(VOVWORLD) - Vietnamese people celebrated the death anniversary of Hung Kings, the ancestral founders of the nation on Wednesday, the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month. In Vietnamese history and culture, the Hung Kings temple and Hung Kings’ death anniversary are symbols of patriotism and national unity and a reflection of the Vietnamese tradition of “drinking water, remember its source”.
 Delegates attend the Hung Kings death anniversary (Photo: laodong.vn) |
Temples dedicated to the Hung Kings and generals who served the Hung Kings were established thousands of years ago on Nghia Linh mountain, in Viet Tri city, in Phu Tho province and elsewhere around the country.
Each year, on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month, millions of Vietnamese people make a pilgrimage to the Hung Kings Temple to snow gratitude to their ancestors and pray for peace and happiness.
Since Vietnam became independent, the Vietnamese Party, State, and people have paid special attention to worshipping the Hung Kings, the ancestors of the nation. Much investment has been made in upgrading the Hung Kings Temple relic site.
On February 2, 1946, President Ho Chi Minh issued an Ordinance stipulating major ceremonies during the year and one-day holiday on the death anniversary of the Hung Kings. That year, acting State President Huynh Thuc Khang attended the death anniversary of the Hung Kings and offered a map of Vietnam and a sword to the ancestors and pray for peace and solidarity to defeat invaders and defend national territorial integrity.
 (Photo: laodong.vn) |
On September 19, 1954, after defeating the French colonialists, President Ho Chi Minh visited the Hung Kings Temple where he met and talked with officers and soldiers of the Vanguard Army Division before they moved to liberate Hanoi. President Ho Chi Minh said: “The Hung Kings founded the nation, we must defend it together.”
On April 2, 2007, the Vietnamese National Assembly adopted revised Article 73 of the Labor Code declaring a national holiday on the death anniversary of the Hung Kings.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has issued guidance on organizing celebrations of the Hung Kings death anniversary in Phu Tho, where the Hung Kings temple is located. This guidance stipulates the costumes of the host and participants of the ceremony and the music to be used in the incense burning ritual.
The practice of worshiping the Hung Kings was recognized by UNESCO as a world intangible cultural heritage in 2012, following a unanimous vote. This recognition is of great importance to Vietnam as it upholds the Hung Kings Worshipping Ritual as a reflection of the strength of national unity in national construction and defense.
On this occasion, millions of Vietnamese people come to the Hung Kings Temple to show gratitude to the ancestors, consolidate their unity, and honor their tradition and culture.