Hung King's death anniversary is the death anniversary of which king?

According to legend, the Hung King dynasty had 18 kings, so which king do we commemorate on Hung King's death anniversary?

"No matter where you go/ Remember the death anniversary on the 10th of March". Almost every Vietnamese person knows this folk song, and every year on the 10th of the 3rd lunar month, all Vietnamese people turn to the ancestral land of Phu Tho to commemorate the Hung Kings on the Hung Kings' death anniversary.

According to legend, the Hung King Dynasty had 18 kings. The first Hung King ascended the throne in 2879 BC, named the country Van Lang, divided the country into 15 regions, and passed the throne to Thuc Phan An Duong Vuong in 258 BC. Thus, the Hung Dynasty lasted for about 2,600 years. If divided by 18 kings on average, each king's reign would be approximately 150 years. Explaining this, some scholars believe that the 18 Hung kings were not actually 18 specific individuals, but 18 branches, each branch had many kings who took turns reigning and shared the same royal title. Even the number 18 is only symbolic and conventional, because 18 is a multiple of 9 - a sacred number for the Vietnamese people.

So many Hung Kings, but only one Hung King's death anniversary; so which king's death anniversary is that? This is something many people still wonder about.

Hung King's death anniversary is actually the death anniversary of which king?

First, we must talk about the origin of the Vietnamese people. Legend has it that Kinh Duong Vuong married Long Nu and gave birth to Lac Long Quan. Lac Long Quan then married Au Co and gave birth to Hung Vuong.

Hung Vuong was thus the eldest grandson of Kinh Duong Vuong, the reign name used for dozens of subsequent dynasties. Therefore, logically, the anniversary must be the anniversary of Kinh Duong Vuong, to commemorate the ancestor who founded the country.

In fact, according to some historical documents, the death anniversary of the ancestors has existed for 2,000 years. During the reign of Thuc Phan An Duong Vuong, a stone oath pillar was erected on Nghia Linh mountain, clearly stating: "I wish that the vast heaven and earth will witness that the Southern nation will forever exist in the Hung King's temple. I wish to forever look after the Hung family's mausoleum and preserve the country that the Hung King handed over; if I break my promise or break my oath, the wind will blow it away and the hammer will crush it."

Later kings also remembered and affirmed the role of the Hung Kings in building the country. That is why every year, Vietnamese people set aside a day to remember those who established and built the country - the Hung Kings in general.

In the past, people did not have the custom of going to Hung Temple on March 10. They often chose a good day according to their destiny and eagerly came to worship Hung Kings all year round, especially in spring and autumn, without any specific date. The local ancestor worship ceremony was held on the 12th day of the third lunar month combined with worshiping Tho Ky. Usually, when descendants from far away come back, they will celebrate the death anniversary one day before (March 11) and not hold a large festival on a national scale.

Thus, the worship time often lasted for a long time, was costly and did not clearly express the respect, and could not gather the people's hearts. Realizing this, in 1917 (Khai Dinh dynasty), Phu Tho Governor Le Trung Ngoc submitted a petition to the Ministry of Rites, requesting to establish the rule of taking the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month every year as the national worship day. From then on, every 10th day of the 3rd lunar month, people across the country turned to their homeland - Hy Cuong commune, Lam Thao, Phu Tho to honor the merits of the Hung Kings. The 10th day of the 3rd lunar month is called the Hung King's Commemoration Day.

To this day, Hung King's death anniversary is still considered a national anniversary and an important holiday of the country. Workers have a day off on this day.

VTCnews

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