Incense offering ceremony honours Hung Kings

Politburo members: Permanent Member of the Party Central Committee Secretariat Le Hong Anh and Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan, joined with members of the Party Central Committee, leaders of Phu Tho province, and people from across the country and overseas Vietnamese to offer flowers, gifts and incense as expressions of their sincere gratitude to the ancestors who founded the country and as prayers for peace for the country and prosperity for all its people.

The procession was led by the soldiers of the Vietnam People's Army with national flags, festive flags and wreaths bearing the words 'eternal gratitude to Hung Kings for founding the nation'. The soldiers were followed by 14 girls carrying incense, flowers, banh chung (square glutinous rice cake) and banh day (round glutinous rice cake) and 100 people symbolising the children of the nation's legendary father Lac Long Quan and mother Au Co.

Chairman of the Phu Tho provincial People's Committee Chu Ngoc Anh delivered a speech to express the pride of 4000 years of national construction and defence, and praised the Hung Kings' place in national history as founders of the state of Van Lang.

The speech also highlighted the great achievements recorded by the entire Party, army and people during the country's renovation, integration and development process.

The chairman affirmed that generations of Vietnamese people would unite to make the country still stronger and more prosperous, contributing to world peace and development.

The delegates also laid flowers and offered incense at the Hung Kings Shrine and commemorated President Ho Chi Minh and martyrs at Gieng temple.

On the same day, millions of Vietnamese attended ceremonies held across the country to mark death anniversary of Hung Kings.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the municipal Party Committee, People's Council, People's Committee and Vietnam Fatherland Front jointly organised a ceremony in commemoration of the Hung Kings. Addressing the event, Pham Van Hai, vice chairman of the municipal committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, highlighted the importance of the Van Lang era under the reign of the 18 Hung Kings, when the nation's cultural foundation was laid and the heroic tradition of national defence began.

Lac Long Quan, son of King Duong Vuong, married Au Co, daughter of King De Lai. Au Co then gave birth to a sac containing 100 eggs from which 100 children were born. The couple decided to separate in order to populate the land, so half the children followed their mother to the highlands and the remaining half went with their father to the sea.

The first child went with mother Au Co to Phong Chau, modern-day Phu Tho province. He then became King Hung and founded the first nation in the history of Vietnam, called Van Lang.

Ruling the country through 18 dynasties, the Hung Kings taught people how to grow wet rice. They chose Nghia Linh Mountain, the highest in the region, as a site for performing rituals devoted to rice and sun deities to pray for lush crops.

The worshipping rituals of the Hung Kings was recognised as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012.

(Source: Nhandan Newspaper Online)