Unique palanquin procession ceremony to Hung Temple

On April 15th (the 7th day of the 3rd lunar month), at the Hung Kings Temple historical site in Viet Tri city ( Phu Tho province), the Organizing Committee of the 2024 Hung Kings Commemoration Day held a procession to Hung Kings Temple to pay tribute to the merits of the Hung Kings and other ancestors who contributed to the founding of the nation.

From early morning, processions from the surrounding communes and wards performed the ritual of carrying palanquins and offering local products to the Hung Kings.

At exactly 7:30 AM on April 15th, the procession of palanquins from the communal houses and temples of seven communes and towns surrounding the Hung Temple historical site, including Hung Lo, Kim Duc, Hy Cuong, Chu Hoa communes and Van Phu ward (Viet Tri city); Tien Kien commune and Hung Son town (Lam Thao district), took place at the ceremonial center of the Hung Temple historical site. The procession was arranged in the following order: leading the way was the lion dance troupe, followed by the national flag and ceremonial flag procession, the small divine flag procession; young women carrying offerings, incense, and flowers; the group playing gongs and drums, the traditional music ensemble and coin dance, the procession of the eight treasures, the procession of parasols and umbrellas, the palanquin bearers, the chief priest, and officials... The offerings included incense, flowers, fruits, banh chung (square sticky rice cake), banh giay (round sticky rice cake), and local products...

The procession of palanquins from Van Phu ward, Viet Tri city.

Traditionally, every year on the anniversary of Hung Kings' death, the villages and communes surrounding the Hung Temple complex, where there are relics dedicated to the Hung Kings and their wives, children, and generals of the Hung Dynasty, organize rituals and performances to recreate the ancient cultural activities of the ancient Vietnamese people.

Among these rituals, the procession of palanquins to Hung Temple to offer gifts to the ancestors is a traditional folk ceremony with profound communal significance, reflecting the principle of "drinking water, remembering the source" and showing respect for ancestors.

The procession of palanquins to Hung Temple has become a beautiful tradition of the people in the communes and wards surrounding the Hung Temple historical site during the Hung King's Commemoration Day.

At the same time, the rituals create a bond among all community members, fostering strong unity and generating spiritual strength in preserving, maintaining, and promoting the traditional cultural identity of the nation. This aims to honor the value of the Hung Kings worship belief, which has been recognized by UNESCO as a Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Jade Dragon

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