The heroic spirit of Van Lang in the land of steel

In his work "We March On," the late poet To Huu wrote: "We are children of one father, under one roof / Flesh and bone, heart and brain are inseparable...". Surely, few nations in the world share our belief that we are all descendants of one family, worshipping the same ancestor, Hung Vuong. Like all Vietnamese people, the people of Thai Nguyen, the land of steel, always value ancestor worship, and the worship of King Hung has become a beautiful custom passed down from generation to generation.

A place where descendants of Lac Hong gather.

We visited Hung Vuong Temple in Trung Vuong Ward, Thai Nguyen City, during the early days of the Thanh Minh festival. The temple is a major destination for tourists from within and outside the province to visit and offer incense on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month every year. It is also a significant site for educating future generations about national traditions, honoring those who contributed to the founding and preservation of the nation. Hung Vuong Temple has a history spanning over a century. According to elderly residents, it was originally just a small shrine where the local people worshipped the earth god. After 1945, local representatives and elders went to Hung Temple in Phu Tho province to obtain incense to worship King Hung. Since then, the temple has been known as Hung Vuong Temple.

Mr. Pham Tran Dang, Deputy Head of the Management Board of Hung Vuong Temple Historical and Cultural Relic Site, has also been the temple's caretaker since 2007. Despite being 90 years old, he remains diligent and dedicated to his work at the temple every day. In our conversation, Mr. Dang recounted his memories of working tirelessly day and night, accompanying the local authorities to ensure Hung Vuong Temple was recognized as a provincial-level historical and cultural relic and to receive numerous sacred artifacts, recognized as national heritage, from the Management Board of Hung Vuong Temple Historical Relic Site ( Phu Tho ). These include: the Sacred Edicts and Genealogical Records detailing the history of the 18 Hung Vuong dynasties; three incense burners: one stone incense burner dedicated to the 18 Hung Vuong dynasties, one stone incense burner dedicated to Queen Au Co, and one bronze incense burner dedicated to Lac Long Quan; and a 1.7-ton stone incense burner in front of the Lower Temple – where Queen Au Co gave birth to 100 children. This is a unique, semi-heavenly incense burner that has been worshipped for a long time at Hung Temple (Phu Tho).

Mr. Pham Tran Dang is preparing the altar for the Hung Kings Commemoration Day in 2025. Photo: My Hanh

In 2014, Thai Nguyen City organized a grand ceremony to cast statues of the Ancestor Lac Long Quan and the Queen Mother Au Co. The project was completed in 2015 and the statues were brought to the historical site by the local government and people. These two statues are unique to Hung Temple (Phu Tho) and Hung Vuong Temple (Thai Nguyen). In fact, the worship of the Hung Kings has been preserved and passed down by the people of Thai Nguyen for hundreds of years. Furthermore, Thai Nguyen is a revolutionary land with many historical sites dedicated to those who contributed to the country, especially the Ho Chi Minh Memorial Temple in the Dinh Hoa Revolutionary Base Area. “Bringing these sacred relics and casting statues of the Ancestor Lac Long Quan and the Queen Mother Au Co to be worshipped at Hung Vuong Temple is very appropriate, bringing a sense of majesty and affirming the unique historical and religious value of the temple. The people of Thai Nguyen are all very excited,” shared Ms. Nguyen Thi Vinh (Gia Sang Ward, Thai Nguyen City).

Since the construction of Hung Vuong Temple, on the sacred national anniversary, unable to return to Nghia Linh Mountain (Phu Tho) to offer incense, the people of Thai Nguyen, the capital of the mountainous region, sincerely prepare incense, candles, offerings, sticky rice cakes, and other traditional foods to pay respects to their ancestors at Hung Vuong Temple. Notably, from 2012 to the present, except for years during the pandemic, a procession has been held every year on the anniversary of the ancestors' death. “We divided into 18 procession groups, the most typical being the leading group with veterans carrying the national flag, signifying that without the Fatherland, there is no us; followed by a group carrying 40 red flags and an image of President Ho Chi Minh, signifying gratitude to those who contributed to building and defending the nation. Most impressive was the appearance of 100 children of Father Lac Long Quan and Mother Au Co in costumes from the Hung King era. To the stirring music of the children's brass band, about 300 people waved flags and marched in beautiful formations," said Mr. Pham Tran Dang.

Focusing on spiritual tourism as a key destination.

As the Hung Kings Commemoration Day approaches, the Trung Vuong ward Xoan singing troupe is diligently practicing the most beautiful and ancient Xoan melodies to present to the Ancestors. Mr. Pham Tran Dang is frequently present to encourage and motivate the artists of the Xoan singing troupe to practice diligently. According to Mr. Dang, in 2025, there will be no large procession like in previous years; instead, there will be a Xoan singing ceremony – one of the unique performing arts associated with reverence and gratitude for the nation-building merits of the Hung Kings. The Trung Vuong ward Xoan singing troupe has been practicing at Hung Temple (Phu Tho) for 9-10 years and this year will be their first official performance. The oldest member of the Xoan singing troupe is over 60 years old, but everyone is enthusiastic about expressing their sincere gratitude for the merits of the Hung Kings.

According to the Plan for Organizing the Hung Kings Commemoration Ceremony in the Year of the Snake 2025 at the Hung Kings Temple historical and cultural relic site, issued by the People's Committee of Trung Vuong Ward, the ceremony will be held on April 6th and 7th, 2025, corresponding to the 9th and 10th days of the 3rd lunar month of the Year of the Snake. The program will be concise and solemn, including the rituals of Announcing and Presenting to the Ancestors. An incense offering ceremony will be held on the morning of April 7th to pray for national peace and prosperity, and for a life of abundance and happiness. Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Trung Vuong Ward, shared: “The Hung Kings Commemoration Ceremony is not only an occasion to remember the contributions of our ancestors, but also one of the important cultural activities aimed at educating about patriotic traditions, national pride, and arousing a sense of responsibility in preserving and promoting the cultural values ​​of the Hung Kings era.”

The Hung Vuong Temple is not only a place where tourists from within and outside Thai Nguyen province come to offer incense and pay respects to the Ancestor on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month (the anniversary of the Ancestor's death), but also a place for traditional education, guiding generations towards the roots of the nation and honoring those who contributed to building and defending the country. However, according to Mr. Pham Tran Dang, the current area of ​​the temple is too small. Meanwhile, during the festival, especially on the anniversary of the Ancestor's death on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month each year, thousands of tourists come to offer incense and pay respects to the Ancestor, so the facilities do not meet the needs. Therefore, the Management Board of the Hung Vuong Temple Historical and Cultural Relic Area, along with the people of Thai Nguyen province, always hope that the temple grounds will be expanded soon to ensure sufficient space for activities during the Ancestor's Day celebrations in particular, and that the Hung Vuong Temple will become a highlight of spiritual tourism in Thai Nguyen province.

Ms. Le Kim Ngan (Phan Dinh Phung Ward, Thai Nguyen City) shared: "We were born and raised in a place that has existed for a long time. When we were young, we often heard the elders recite prayers, ' This is the Hung Vuong Temple, the sacred ancestral land of our nation.' Our grandparents and parents taught us to remember and be grateful for the great contributions of the heroes who founded the nation. We are always proud of our nation's tradition of remembering our roots and even more proud to have the legacy of the Hung Vuong ancestors in our homeland. We hope that the temple will soon be expanded so that visitors from all over can come to offer incense and express their devotion, especially those who cannot afford to visit the Hung Vuong Temple in Phu Tho province."

Standing before the resplendent altar of King Hung, adorned with red lacquer and gold leaf, I suddenly recalled the verses of the late poet To Huu: "We are children of one father, under one roof / Flesh and bone, heart and mind are inseparable…". Our home is the Vietnamese Fatherland, with its rich history of over four thousand years of civilization. Certainly, few nations in the world share the concept of being descendants of one family, worshipping the same ancestor, King Hung. No matter where they go in the country, or even abroad, Vietnamese people will always remember and be proud of their noble origins.

Dao Canh - daibieunhandan.vn

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/hao-khi-van-lang-tren-mien-dat-thep-post409466.html