Incense offering ceremony to open spring at Thang Long Imperial Citadel

This is a typical Tet ritual of the ancient royal court, part of a series of Vietnamese Tet activities welcoming the Spring of Giap Thin 2024, recreated by the Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center.

On February 18 (January 9), the incense offering ceremony to open the year of the Dragon 2024 at Kinh Thien Palace - Thang Long Imperial Citadel Heritage Site, organized by the Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center in coordination with the Thang Long - Hanoi Cultural Heritage Association, took place with many special rituals.

The incense offering ceremony is held annually with the meaning of paying homage to the ancestors, showing gratitude to the ancestors, the wise kings, the talented people who have contributed to the country, and at the same time honoring the traditional values of Thang Long - Hanoi. Many traditional rituals are solemnly held such as: Incense offering ceremony, seal opening ceremony, sacrifice ceremony, procession ceremony, drum performance and Dragon dance.

Attending the incense offering ceremony to open the spring were representatives from the Central Government and Hanoi City. Participating in the ritual practice were the Dragon Team of Trieu Khuc Village (Tan Trieu Commune, Thanh Tri District); the Dong Anh Drum Team; the Hoang Mai Men's Worship Team; the Women's Worship Team, So Thuong Temple (Yen So Ward, Hoang Mai District) and members of the Branches of the Thang Long - Hanoi Cultural Heritage Association.

The program opened with a performance of Thang Long festival drums, expressing the heroic spirit of Thang Long - Hanoi with thousands of years of culture, and a Dragon dance recreating the image of the descendants of the Dragon and Fairy, with the wish for favorable weather, prosperity, national peace and people's peace, promoting the martial spirit and the nation's tradition of remembering its roots.

Next is the incense offering ceremony of the delegates at Kinh Thien Palace and the seal opening ceremony inside Kinh Thien Palace.

The ceremony took place with a procession from Doan Mon to the Kinh Thien Palace yard, with drum performances and dragon dances, a ceremony to worship the male official (offering prayers and incense offerings), a female incense offering, and incense offerings by the groups.

For many years, the Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center has researched and recreated many royal rituals on the occasion of Lunar New Year such as: Tao Quan worship ceremony, Lich Tien ceremony, Xuan Nguu Tien ceremony (ceremony of carrying the earthen buffalo and Cau Mang god), Phat Thuc ceremony (cleaning and sealing the seal), Cap Huong ceremony (inviting the former emperors to celebrate Tet), Thuong Tieu ceremony (raising the Neu tree), Khai Ha ceremony (lowering the Neu tree), Khai An ceremony (opening the seal)... The reenactment aims to promote the value of typical Tet rituals of the royal court as well as the cultural values of Thang Long - Hanoi.

According to VNA/Tin Tuc Newspaper

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