Returning to the Ancestral Land on National Commemoration Day

"No matter where one goes, remember the Hung Kings' Commemoration Day on the 10th of March"... The Hung Temple Festival, also known as the Hung Kings' Commemoration Day, is a festival to remember and express gratitude for the nation-building contributions of the Hung Kings. The festival takes place on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month (April 7, 2025). The Hung Temple Festival consists of two parts: the ceremonial part and the festive part.

The ceremony was conducted solemnly, befitting a national event. The offerings included the "three sacrificial animals" (one pig, one goat, and one cow), banh chung (square sticky rice cake), banh day (round sticky rice cake), and multicolored sticky rice...

Following the ceremonial part is the festive part. Every year at the Hung Temple Festival, a palanquin-carrying competition is held among the surrounding villages. The palanquin that wins first prize in this year's competition will represent the other palanquins at the next festival, carrying them to the Upper Temple for the national ceremony. Therefore, the winning palanquin is a source of pride for the villagers.

During the Hung Temple festival, there are traditional folk songs like Xoan and Ca Tru... Around the area at the foot of Hung Mountain, there are lively folk performances and games such as swinging, cockfighting, human chess, and card games... Meanwhile, groups of young men and women showcase their talents in singing folk songs, drum songs, or call-and-response love songs... In the evening, there are performances of Cheo and Tuong opera in the open spaces near the entrance of the Lower Temple or the Well Temple...

The Hung Temple Festival is a beautiful custom in the traditions of the Vietnamese people. In the folk consciousness, the ancestral land has become the "sacred sanctuary" of the whole country, the place where the nation originated. People of all ages and genders who make pilgrimages to the ancestral land are proud to be descendants of the Hung Kings.

Heritage Magazine