Enlightenment towards the Homeland
Hung Vuong is an era in the development of the Vietnamese nation, full of mystery and legend.
So, there are too many questions surrounding the chronology and reign of the Hung Kings: Citing a Kinh Duong Vuong with the national title Xich Quy in 2879 BC; while the eldest son of Lac Long Quan became king with the title Hung Vuong and named the country Van Lang, also in 2879 BC, to see that this is indeed a problem?
Or like me, we can also ask the question: Who is the character who "married" with the 50 children on the mountain (or 50 children on the sea) of Lac Long Quan and Au Co to have descendants that will continue to multiply, which are me and more than 80 million people today in this country of Vietnam? It is impossible to answer. But I do not worry about finding the answer. I just want to set foot on the land of the ancestors, light incense sticks to offer to the 18 Hung kings, naturally bow my head before the vast space of incense smoke and give thanks for a supernatural energy that gave the country the courage to stand up in times when it seemed to have completely collapsed.
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Incense offering ceremony in memory of Hung Kings (2010). |
It is not that Hung Temple is the Vietnamese Fatherland Altar that I have been in the mood to exaggerate. Just setting foot on the Lower Temple, one can feel the sacred spirit gathering and enveloping all the branches and leaves, enveloping the unspoken thoughts of each person who is walking up each step to the top of Hon Mountain.
Arriving at Hung Temple on the opening night of the anniversary, choosing a precarious mountain corner to look down on the colorful festival scene, it feels like since the Hung King era until now, this nation has only lived in peace. The sound of Dong Son drums resounds in the chest...
Touching the artifacts of the Hung King era, I still believe that the truth is being revealed layer by layer. Dong Son is the closest era compared to other cultural sediment layers such as Go Mun - Dong Dau - Phung Nguyen in the development process of the Hung King era.
Therefore, the people's accidental discovery of the Hy Cuong bronze drum right at the foot of Nghia Linh mountain on August 7, 1990 is the brightest proof of the existence of advanced technology that could only exist under a developed and stable political system in Southeast Asia during the Bronze Age. Why? Human history is associated with countless invasions and struggles to keep the border peaceful. The sound of the drum is an urge to be proud of the land where the generals are standing, and also to "calm" the aggressiveness of the Shang - Yin invaders who always knew how to trample on what did not belong to them.
The sound of drums in the Hung King era was a majestic call to repel the invaders. The sound of drums was joyful and passionate in the joy of uniting brother tribes, boys and girls happily making promises. The sound of drums was also the last prayer, wishing to reassure those who were going to other horizons. Today, inheriting the Bronze Drum Festival of the Muong ethnic group in Thanh Son land, at Hung Temple on the anniversary of the Hung Kings on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month, the bronze drum beating ceremony has been restored and is a highlight of the spiritual origin.
In the world, no war is more difficult to resolve than religious conflicts. In other words, there is no belief more profound than when people immerse themselves in spirituality. Just look at the dense stream of people from all over Vietnam following each other to set foot on each step to offer incense at Hung Temple, and you will know the boundless power like the power that kept the country peaceful until the Ly - Tran dynasties and was so heroic just three or four decades ago.
The first time I returned to the Ancestral Land, also the first night of the National Death Anniversary, with only 2 hours allowed, I left behind the auditorium with its brilliant lights and flowers, the performance of hundreds of young and beautiful professional actors and the mountain and forest scent of the Ta Xeng, Thai, Muong dancers... bringing the breath of the wild mixed with the swaying dance of the village, climbing up to the Lower Temple - Middle Temple - Upper Temple - where the wind from the Sea and the Mountain of the hundred children of Lac Long Quan and Au Co grew up and became healthy amidst the ups and downs of the Mother - Father era.
Located in the Hung Temple Relic Complex, Ngoc Well can be compared to a mirror. Whoever comes to Hung Temple to offer incense should also look at their face and reflect on their own heart. I sat on Nghia Linh Mountain, enjoying the wind, remembering a beautiful day when the 18th Hung King brought his wife, children and mandarins here to purify their souls, pray to God for the people to be well-off, for society to be prosperous and strong, and to accumulate virtue for future generations to continue the royal lineage...
Like me, many poets must have looked at their faces in the clear well to imagine the silhouettes of Tien Dung and Ngoc Hoa hidden in the clouds and sky. No one wanted to scoop up a sip of water like the two girls drank the dew gathered in the Ngoc well, afraid that the gentle waves would erase the faces appearing on the poet's imagination. The only difference is that I cannot think of any beautiful words for the seemingly endless source of sacred water, slowly flowing from the heart of the mountain since the 17th century, when the Gieng temple was built to worship the Ngoc drop!
Nhuy Nguyen
