Every year, many visitors from all over the country attend the National Hung Kings Festival, an incense ceremony in honor of the Hung Kings, who helped found the nation.
Legend of Hung Kings Temple Festival
Thousands years ago, it is said that Lac Long Quan, the dragon king of the land of Lac, had superhuman powers and liked to stay near water. He inherited his father’s throne and ruled the Lac Viet tribe. De Lai, the king of the northern tribe, traveled south with his daughter Au Co.
De Lai, who praised Lak Long Quan’s talents, married Lac Long Quan and Au Co. Au Co became pregnant and gave birth to a membrane sack. The sack got bigger and broke on the seventh day. Surprisingly, there were 100 eggs in the sack, which were born in 100 beautiful babies.
The children of Lac Long Quan and Au Co were Vietnamese ancestors, and the Vietnamese are known as “descendants of Dragon and Fairy.” The eldest child was the king in Phong Chau, in the southern part of Phu Tho province. He was King I, whose kingdom was composed of 50 tribes. The 18 King Kings ruled the country from 2879 to 258 BC.
According to historical records, the administration of King Hung was an impressive, bright and outstanding start to establish Vietnam as a sovereign state. It is believed that the 18th generation of Hung King witnessed the birth and development of the nation, and built national characteristics such as a sense of community, mutual affection, patriotism and a willingness to silence.
From this first settlement, the Red River civilization and pre-Dong Son culture grew. From generation to generation, the Vietnamese people will celebrate a national festival on the 10th of the third lunar month to celebrate the anniversary of the death of their ancestors, all Hung Kings.
When Does Hung Kings Temple Festival Take Place?
The Hung King Temple Festival is held from March 8 to 11 of each year. The main day of the festival is March 10. On this day, Vietnamese workers have a national holiday once a year to celebrate the anniversary of the king’s death.
Every year, on this traditional occasion, Vietnamese from all over the world join enthusiastically with their brothers and sisters to celebrate National Vietnam Day to celebrate their ancestors. The main ceremony will take place at the Nya Ling Mong Temple in the Fong Chau district of Phu Tho, about 85 km northwest of Hanoi.
The Hung King Temple Festival is one of the most important and sacred festivals for Vietnamese, and is deeply inscribed in the minds of all Vietnamese citizens from where they come.
The Ceremonies in Hung Kings Temple Festival
Hung King Temple is an ancient sacred building on top of Mount Nghia Linh, 175 meters high. The festival offers Vietnamese the opportunity to visit their hometown.
The day before the festival, old and modern flags are hung along the road from Viet Tri to Nghia Linh Mountain. Big balloons also promote the festival in the surroundings. On the eve of the festival, 100 flight lights are emitted towards the night sky.
The main worship will take place on the morning of the next day, starting on the morning of the 10th, with a performance of bronze drums, which will be attended by about 40 different villages. Below is a liturgy dedicated to incense to celebrate a solemn national ceremony.
In Den Thuong (upper temple), where King Hang worshiped the gods in a perfect ritual, the ritual consists of a feast of five luxurious fruits. Bánh Chưng (square cake) and banh giay (circular cake) also remember the legend of Lang Lieu, the 18th King who invented these cakes, and the achievements of Hung King, who taught people how to grow rice.
In addition to the procession of the gods, there are several other processes, such as an elephant march followed by a procession.
Activities at Hung Kings Temple Festival
In the Hung Kings Festival, there are a variety of folk games, such as bamboo swings, rice cookers, sacred ball throws through rings, human chess, fighting, lion dance, crossbow shooting and water puppets. Each game plays an important role in the lively atmosphere of the festival and highlights the massive participation of many people.
The locals usually sing “gheo” and “xoan” during the festival. Demonstrations of other art are also beautifully displayed on stage.
On the day of the Hung King Temple Festival, the Vietnamese are always willing to participate in the festival with a deeply rooted religious belief, love and pride in their ancestral land. The festival is not only attracting visitors from all over the country thanks to special traditional cultural activities, but also a sacred pilgrimage that returns to the origins of the Vietnamese nation.
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