President Truong Tan Sang attended an incense offering held at the Hung Kings Temple complex site in Phu Tho province on April 28 (the tenth day of the third lunar month) to pay tribute to Hung Kings, the legendary founders of Van Lang – the first State in Viet Nam’s history.
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President Truong Tan Sang offers incense to Hung Kings
at Thuong (Upper) temple |
The ceremony was also attended by Party and State officials, representatives of ministries, sectors, Phu Tho authorities and pilgrims across the country.
Started at 7:30 am in the morning, the ceremony was led by guards holding the national flag and a festive flag, followed by young ladies in red Ao Dai (Vietnamese traditional dress) holding incense, flowers and offerings, and 100 young men representing the 100 children of the Hung Kings’ father Lac Long Quan and mother Au Co.
Delegates at the event expressed their respect to the national ancestors and prayers for peace, prosperity, and happiness for the country and its people.
In his hymn, Vice Secretary of Phu Tho provincial Party Committee and Chairman of provincial People’s Committee Chu Ngoc Anh recapped the thousand-year history of national construction and defence, as well as significant achievements made by the entire Party, people and army in the national Doi Moi (Renewal) process and its international integration and development.
He reiterated Viet Nam’s wholehearted determination to build a strong and prosperous country and to make contributions to fostering peace and friendship around the world.
The ceremony, which is the highlight of the 2015 Hung Kings Temple Festival from April 23-28, was followed by a wide range of cultural activities, including a photo exhibition of Hung Kings worshipping rituals, a folk songs singing competition, a lion dance, and sporting events such as wrestling, xiangqui (Chinese chess), and crossbow shooting.
Bui Trung Muc, a pilgrim from Hanoi, said that over the past 10 years, his family has always visited and burnt incense to pay homage to the Hung Kings. He expressed his hope that the occasion would help his descendants to keep in mind the credits of ancestors.
Trieu Thi Khanh, a Tay ethnic visitor from Thai Nguyen province, said that at the ceremony, she felt proud to be Vietnamese. She shared that she had prayed for peace for the country.
The Hung Kings’ death anniversary was also commemorated in Ho Chi Minh City, Tien Giang, Ben Tre, and Khanh Hoa provinces among other localities across the country.