As a Vietnamese, whether in the homeland or far away from the country, everyone must have remembered the Hung Kings' death anniversary on the 10^th of the 3^rd lunar month. Perhaps so, this public holiday has become a symbol of spiritual culture, belief, solidarity and a bridge for a deep belief in the nation's heroic past for generations.

The Hung Kings Commemoration – Hung Kings’ Temple Festival is held respectfully and dignified according to traditional rituals annually. Photo: Phu Tho Newspaper

According to the Phu Tho Provincial Folk Arts Association, Vietnamese feudal dynasties had always wanted to send the philosophy “When drinking water, think of its source" to posterity through ancestor worship and Hung Kings’ death anniversary, as well as to remind the descendants of the nation's roots, gratitude for the merits of the Hung Kings who built the country.

Since 1917, the Nguyen Dynasty set the anniversary of Hung Kings' death anniversary on the 10th day of the third lunar month as a national holiday and has annually opened a festival for the people to worship and organize many traditional folk games.

When the August Revolution was successful and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was born, President Ho Chi Minh had immortal teaching, that is “The Hung kings had the merit of founding the country, we must unite to safeguard it”.   This is a message to summon generations of Vietnamese together to preserve the country, continue to write the heroic history of the nation and have the responsibility to preserve and promote the priceless spiritual value of the Hung Kings' death anniversary

This year, the People's Committee of Phu Tho Province is to organize the Hung Kings’ festival with the theme "Sacred roots, land of the Hung Kings", in association with the 10th anniversary of UNESCO's recognition of "Worship of Hung King in Phu Tho" as part of the world’s representative intangible cultural heritage.

According to the plan, the ceremony of Hung Kings' death anniversary in the Tiger year 2022 includes some activities such as the death anniversary of Quoc To Lac Long Quan, the incense offering ceremony in memory of Mother Au Co on March 6 of the lunar calendar; incense offering ceremony in memory of Hung Kings on10th day of the 3rd lunar month.

As for the festival, there are 12 activities, organized on an appropriate scale to ensure safety for pandemic prevention and control, such as exhibiting thematic "Hung Kings' beliefs - converging and spreading" at Hung Kings Museum; organizing high-altitude fireworks; the traditional festival of Hung Lo communal house; swimming competition on the lake of Van Lang Park; art programs

In Da Nang, according to the Department of Culture and Sports, every year, on this public holiday of Hung Kings’ death anniversary, most citywide communal houses have hold incense offering ceremonies in memory of Hung Kings, the predecessors who built our nation, in tandem with reminding future generations of the moral “Gratitude is the sign of noble souls".

As shared by Mr Nguyen Duy Minh, a cultural officer of Hai Chau 1 Ward, the Hai Chau communal house festival in 2022 will be held on the 8th and 9th of the 3rd lunar month. This festival coincides with Hung Kings' death anniversary, which was arranged by the ancestors with the desire that their descendants remember those who had the merits to build the country and the village. Every year, numerous descendants working in other regions still remember the day and return to worship their ancestors.

According to Ms Dinh Thi Huu, Chairman of the Da Nang Folk Arts Association, the belief in worshipping Hung Kings has extended beyond borders, contributing to enriching the soul, emotions and will of the Vietnamese people; forming the strength for the nation to overcome all difficulties, challenges in the process of longevity and development.

Currently, Viet Nam houses 1,417 monuments worshipping Hung Kings and other crucial characters of the Hung Kings period. Phu Tho Province alone has 345 relics associated with the worship of Hung Kings. In some countries around the world, the Vietnamese community has also established temples to worship Hung Kings and celebrated the Hung Kings’ death anniversary.

“Belief in worshipping Hung Kings has been associated with the custom of worshipping ancestors of the Vietnamese to express remembrance, respect, and gratitude to the origin. Therefore, this belief has always occupied a particularly important position in the spiritual and emotional life of Vietnamese people for thousands of years,” emphasized Ms Hue.

Reporting by THIEN DUYEN- Translating by T.VY