Speaking at the ceremony, Chairman of the Thanh Oai District People's Committee Bui Van Sang said that for centuries, the Vietnamese people have had the saying "Drinking water, remember the source" to remember their origins and ancestors, expressing the sacred feelings of the Vietnamese people: "The National Ancestor is remembered for a thousand years / The homeland will never be forgotten."
Legend has it that after marrying Mother Au Co at Lang Suong Cave, the two returned to Nghia Linh Mountain. On the day of childbirth, Mother Au Co gave birth to a bundle of one hundred eggs, which hatched into one hundred sons. When the sons grew up, Father Lac Long Quan took 50 sons to the coast, while Mother Au Co took 50 sons to the mountains; the eldest son stayed in Phong Chau, succeeding to the throne and taking the regnal name Hung Vuong I. Mother Au Co and 49 sons, upon arriving in Hien Luong area, Ha Hoa district, Phu Tho province, were impressed by the beautiful scenery, fertile land, and abundant wildlife in the forests... and chose this place as their resting place.
Chairman of Thanh Oai District People's Committee Bui Van Sang delivered the opening speech at the festival.
Fifty people went to sea with their father and arrived at Bao Da land, now Binh Da village (Binh Minh commune), not far from the sea. Seeing the sacred land, fertile soil, winding rivers and streams, and many high mounds resembling dragons and tigers, he instructed his sons to stop, set up camp, and choose this place to build their livelihood.
Here, the Ancestor taught his people how to cultivate rice, plant mulberry trees, raise silkworms, weave cloth, reclaim land from the sea, build houses, hunt and exterminate wild beasts, reclaim land, and expand the territory. Before long, the entire Bao Da region, considered a precious land, became prosperous, and people from all over flocked to this sacred land to worship the Dragon King, forming the first villages of the ancient Vietnamese people in the Red River Delta.
On a day at the end of February according to the lunar calendar, the national ancestor Lac Long Quan passed away in the night. To honor the merits of the national ancestor Lac Long Quan, the villagers of Bao Da reburied him in the Ba Go area. The book "Ancient Jade Genealogy of the Hung Kings," stored at Hung Temple, records: "The tomb of the national ancestor Lac Long Quan is located at Ba Dong (Ba Go), Dong Thuong, Bao Cuu, later renamed Bao Da - now Binh Da."
The people of Binh Da built a communal house (temple) for worship with a large inscription "Vi Bach Viet To" (Ancestor of the Bach Viet people). "With its historical, cultural, religious, and festival values, the Binh Da Festival was recognized by the State on April 1, 2014, as the first national intangible cultural heritage of Hanoi ."
Central and Hanoi city leaders performed the opening ceremony for the "South Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Route" tourist route.
"In particular, the unique bas-relief (statue base) preserved in the Inner Temple, featuring a vivid depiction of the National Ancestor Lac Long Quan and his lords and generals, depicting scenes of life during the Hung King era, was recognized as a National Treasure by a decision signed by the Prime Minister in 2015. The site also unearthed a bronze drum dating back 2,500 years, and an elaborately crafted stone dragon bed, traditionally believed to be the dragon bed of the National Ancestor and Mother Au Co," Mr. Bui Van Sang informed.
For generations, the people of Thanh Oai, along with their descendants from all over, have sincerely offered incense and paid homage to the National Ancestor Lac Long Quan. In recent years, thanks to the attention of the Party and the State, the city, and the sincere contributions of compatriots and tourists nationwide, the Noi Temple historical site has continued to be restored, renovated, and expanded, befitting its status as a national-level historical and cultural relic, and a dossier is being prepared to propose its upgrade to a special national-level relic.
According to Bui Van Sang, Chairman of the People's Committee of Thanh Oai District, it has become a tradition that during the festival, a delegation from the Management Board of Hung Temple (Phu Tho) comes to offer incense to the National Ancestor and request to take the incense sticks from the First altar of the Inner Temple to worship, with the meaning of respectfully welcoming the National Ancestor to attend the Hung Temple festival on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month.
A spectacular art program during the opening night of the Binh Da Spring Festival 2024 (Year of the Dragon).
The official festival program takes place from April 12th to 14th (corresponding to the 4th to 6th day of the third lunar month of the Year of the Dragon). In addition to the ceremonial offerings and processions, clans and villages also organize offerings at the Inner and Outer communal houses; a ceremony to worship the Heavenly Official; and a procession to release sacred cakes into the Jade Well.
Following the opening ceremony, the Secretary of the Thanh Oai District Party Committee, Bui Hoang Phan, officially beat the drum to inaugurate the Binh Da Festival 2024. This was followed by a spectacular and impressive artistic performance, marking the beginning of a series of rich cultural and sporting activities…
Also at the festival, the Hanoi City Department of Tourism, in coordination with the districts, launched the "Central Hanoi - Thanh Oai - Ung Hoa - My Duc" tourist route with the theme "South Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Route".
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