To commemorate the merits of the Hung Kings who created the heavens and the earth, King Le Thanh Tong in 1470 and King Le Kinh Tong in 1601 copied and stamped the seals at Hung Temple, choosing the 11th and 12th of the third lunar month as the Hung Kings' death anniversary. During the Nguyen Dynasty - the 2nd year of Khai Dinh, the 10th of the third lunar month was officially chosen as the Hung Kings' death anniversary to commemorate the Hung Kings and remind all Vietnamese people to remember and worship their ancestors.
According to custom, the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month every year has become a spiritual “meeting place” for every Vietnamese citizen, all people across the country come together to turn to their nation, to find their roots. The Hung Kings’ Commemoration Festival is an opportunity for Lac Hong descendants to learn about and be grateful for the great contributions of those who came before to protect our country as it is today. Every year on this day, no matter how far away, how busy, or where they go, everyone offers incense to commemorate the Hung Kings who built the country.
On December 6, 2012, the significance of Hung King's Commemoration Day was known to the world when UNESCO recognized "Hung King Worship in Phu Tho" - a symbol of the spirit of great solidarity, the traditional morality of "When drinking water, remember its source" of the Vietnamese people as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity. In the dossier submitted to UNESCO to recognize "Hung King Worship" as a world cultural heritage, it clearly stated the value of the heritage as showing respect for ancestors, according to the spirit of "When drinking water, remember its source" of the Vietnamese people.
On April 2, 2007, the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam approved the amendment and supplement to Article 73 of the Labor Law, allowing employees to take time off with full pay on the Hung Kings' Commemoration Day (the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month). Since then, the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month has become a major holiday - a National Holiday with national cultural significance.
Hung Temple Festival is a major national festival. The custom of commemorating the death anniversary of Hung Kings has become a long-standing cultural tradition in our country.
The Hung Temple Festival takes place at Hung Temple, Phu Tho , lasting from the 8th to the 11th of the third lunar month every year, of which the 10th is the main festival. The Hung Temple Festival consists of two parts: the ceremony and the festival. The ceremony is held very solemnly, with the character of a national holiday. The offerings are "three-life offerings" (1 pig, 1 goat and 1 cow), Chung cake, Day cake and colorful sticky rice...; the musical instrument is an ancient bronze drum. After a bronze drum beat, the dignitaries enter the ceremony under the direction of the master of ceremonies. Next, the elders of the local villages around Hung Temple enter the ceremony. Finally, the people and pilgrims enter the temples to worship, commemorating the Hung Kings.
The Hung Kings' Commemoration Day - Hung Temple Festival is an important occasion for us to promote to the world an extremely valuable and unique Heritage that has existed for thousands of years, deeply rooted in the souls and emotions, becoming the traditional morality of our compatriots nationwide and overseas Vietnamese; it is a day for our entire Party, army and people to vow to always remember President Ho Chi Minh's advice: "The Hung Kings had the merit of building the country - We, your descendants, must work together to protect the country".
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