Tens of thousands of people respectfully offer incense to commemorate King Hung.

At exactly 7:30 a.m. on April 9 (March 10 of the lunar calendar), at Kinh Thien Palace on top of Nghia Linh Mountain in the Hung Kings Temple National Historical Site, on behalf of the people of the whole country and overseas Vietnamese, Phu Tho province and 4 provinces representing the 3 regions of the North, Central and South solemnly held an incense offering ceremony to commemorate the Hung Kings.

Attending the incense offering ceremony were Politburo member, Standing member of the Secretariat Le Hong Anh; Politburo member, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Nguyen Thien Nhan, along with representatives of leaders of ministries, branches, central agencies and people from all walks of life.

The incense offering procession departed from the festival center yard through the Nghi Mon gate, Ha temple, Trung temple, and up to Thuong temple. Leading the way was the honor guard carrying the national flag, festival flags, and wreaths bearing the inscription "Forever grateful to the Hung Kings for their contributions to building the country."

Party and State leaders offer incense to commemorate the Hung Kings. (Photo: Dan Tri)

At Kinh Thien Palace on Nghia Linh Mountain, the incense offering ceremony to commemorate the Hung Kings officially began. Before the souls of the Hung Kings, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Phu Tho Provincial People's Committee Chu Ngoc Anh - the master of the Hung Kings' Commemoration Ceremony in the year of Giap Ngo 2014, read the Congregation expressing pride in the glorious tradition of 4,000 years of history of building and defending the country of the Vietnamese people; respectfully remembering and being grateful for the merits of ancestors; respectfully reporting to the souls of predecessors about the great achievements that the entire Party, people and army of Vietnam have achieved in the cause of innovation, integration and development of the country.

“Great is the National Father, who built the foundation with great merit. Wise is Uncle Ho, who passed on all his wisdom to posterity. We vow: to build a strong and prosperous country, to live in peace and friendship with humanity, to shine forever the quintessence of Hong Lac, and to uphold the mighty spirit of Hung Vuong” - Mr. Chu Ngoc Anh read.

In a solemn and respectful atmosphere, delegates and people from all walks of life offered incense, flowers, gifts, and incense sticks to commemorate and express gratitude to the Hung Kings who founded the country; praying for national peace and prosperity, for the people to be safe, for the country to prosper and last forever. Afterwards, delegates offered flowers at the bas-relief depicting Uncle Ho talking to the soldiers of the vanguard army.

The ceremony ended, visitors from all over the country filled the Upper Temple and other temples in the relic site to light incense sticks in memory of the Hung Kings' contributions to building the country.

Ms. Ha Thi Luong, a Tay ethnic from Cao Bang, came to the Hung King's death anniversary and shared: "This year I am 70 years old. Every year I come to the Hung King's death anniversary to burn incense and remember my ancestors and roots. I always hope that future generations will always remember their ancestors and roots and burn incense to commemorate the Hung King's death anniversary. Because of the Hung King, we have our descendants today. We must make ourselves rich and this is the cultural heritage of the nation."

After the ceremony, today's festival also features many activities such as: Banh Chung and Banh Day cooking contest; bronze drum beating, stabbing, lion dance, xoan singing; mass sports competitions such as traditional wrestling, chess. In particular, this year's festival has the participation of 4 provinces: Bac Ninh, Quang Binh, Vinh Long and Long An, bringing unique art performances such as: Don ca tai tu of Vinh Long and Long An provinces, Bac Ninh folk songs, Quang Binh folk songs../.

According to Hanoi Moi Online