State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Party and State officials offer incense to the Hung Kings in 2019. Photo: VNA

The upcoming death anniversary of Hung Kings and Hung Kings Temple Festival 2022 will be organized in the northern province of Phu Tho, with the theme "Sacred origin of Hung King's ancestral land".

The event is held for five days, starting from the March 6 to the end of the 10th of the third lunar month.

The Hung Kings worship ritual originates from ancestor worship rituals in Vietnamese families and has become a significant cultural festival for the people. On the 10th day of the third lunar month every year, millions of people across the country flock to the sacred Nghia Linh mountain in the northern midland province of Phu Tho to pay tribute to the legendary national founders.

This year, many activitieshave been adjusted to suit the “new normal” situation, with Covid-19 prevention measures strictly put in place.

The worship of the Hung Kings was organized to popularise the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity among Vietnamese nationals and foreign friends.

Vietnamese people pay homage to their ancestors. Photo: VNA

As for the ritual, to ensure the prevention and control of pandemic, and protect the health of people and visitors, this year's Hung Kings death anniversary does not organize mass activities, only a number of Hung Vuong worshiping beliefs related activities to such as drum beating, Xoan singing, water puppetry, traditional boat racing.

Xoan performances include singing, dancing, and drumming. Closely linked to the worship of the Hung Kings, Xoan singing is traditionally performed during the first two months of the lunar calendar at holy places such as temples, sanctuaries, and communal houses.

On this occasion, Phu Tho province will also not organize Hung Vuong Fair, Hung Vuong Cup Volleyball tournament, street festival. The Culture, Sports and Tourism Festival for ethnic groups in Vietnam's northwest region scheduled to be held in Phu Tho on this occasion will also be postponed until an appropriate time.

Legend has it that the eldest son of Lac Long Quan (son of Kinh Duong Vuong) and Au Co (the fairy daughter of De Lai) was made king. He named the country Van Lang and set up the capital in Phong Chau (modern-day Viet Tri city), beginning 18 dynasties of the Hung Kings.

The kings chose Nghia Linh Mountain, the highest in the region, to perform rituals devoted to the rice and sun deities to pray for healthy crops.

To honor their substantial contributions, a complex of temples dedicated to the kings was built on Nghia Linh Mountain, and the tenth day of the third lunar month serves as the national commemorative anniversary for the kings.

The worship of the Hung Kings was recognised as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2012.

Earlier, president Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Feb. 6 has launched a tree planting festival at the Hung Kings Temple relic site in Phu Tho on the occasion of the Lunar New Year Festival (Tet).

Vietnamese Association in Hungary Seeks Ways to Help Vietnamese Citizens in Ukraine Association of Vietnamese in Hungary established support team for Vietnamese nationals living in Ukraine

Vietnamese in China Cook Banh Chung to Welcome Year of Tiger Making banh chung has become an annual custom of the Vietnamese community in Shanghai (China), in celebration of the Lunar New Year.

Get A Glimpse of Vietnam's City of Ghosts in Thua Thien Hue Families in a rural community of Vietnam are pouring up to US$70,000 into elaborate final resting places to honour their kin.