Phu Tho, April 28 (VNA) – President Truong Tan Sang attended a ceremony commemorating the death anniversary of the Hung Kings, the legendary founders of Vietnam,
in the northern midland province of Phu Tho on April 28 (the 10 th day of the third lunar month).
The ceremony is the highlight of the 2015 Hung Kings Temple Festival from April 23-28.
Vice Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee, Chu Ngoc Anh, delivered an eulogy praising the kings for founding and protecting the nation, both in peace and wartime.
He said the celebration reflects the great unity and patriotism of all groups in the Vietnamese community, adding that the nation always aspires to international peace and solidarity.
President Sang, Party and State leaders, local officials and people offered incenses, flowers and fruits to national founders at the temple. The President and delegates also took the occasion to lay a wreath at the tombs of the Hung Kings and paid tribute to the late President Ho Chi Minh and the country’s war heroes.
Following the incense-offering ceremony, millions of Vietnamese from across the country and abroad thronged to the temple complex – a special national relic site – to pay their homage.
The same day, people nationwide worshipped the Hung Kings by performing similar rituals as a mark of respect.
Earlier, other ceremonies were held to commemorate the death anniversary of the Lac Long Quan, believed to be the father of both the country and the Vietnamese people, and to their mother Au Co. Together the pair are said to have founded the nation of Van Lang, the earliest incarnation of Vietnam.
During the Hung Kings Temple festival, a number of cultural and sporting events, such as photo exhibitions, music performances, traditional cooking competitions and a tourism fair attracted over 8 million visitors.
The worshipping rituals of the Hung Kings are closely related to the ancestral worshipping traditions of most Vietnamese families, which form an important part of their spiritual lives. It was recognised as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012./.
By VNA/VNP
