Spreading the value of the heritage of Hung King worship

These days of March, the whole country is bustling with activities towards the Hung Kings' Commemoration Day. As a Vietnamese citizen, who does not wish to make a pilgrimage to the land of the ancestors, to the sacred Nghia Linh mountain to respectfully offer incense, to show gratitude to the Hung Kings. For thousands of years, the Hung Kings' Commemoration Day has become an important holiday of the Vietnamese people - those who are proud to carry the blood of the Dragon and Fairy. The Hung Kings' Commemoration Day is an opportunity for generations of children today to reflect on the thousands of years of historical tradition of the nation, to spread the humanistic values ​​of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity - the Hung Kings' worship, to multiply the strength of the origin, to join hands to build the country to become "more dignified and more beautiful".

No matter who goes against the flow.

Remember the death anniversary of the ancestors on March 10th.

Every Ancestor's Death Anniversary, millions of children carrying the blood of the Dragon and Fairy come together to turn to the Ancestral Land.

For thousands of years, that song has been deeply engraved in the minds of every Vietnamese person. No matter where they are on this earth, every time the Ancestor's Death Anniversary comes, millions of children carrying the blood of the Dragon and Fairy come together to turn to the Ancestral Land, light incense sticks to remember their roots, and show gratitude to their ancestors with all their sincerity.

In the leisurely footsteps on each stone step, in the vast clouds of legends of thousands of years, every Vietnamese person who makes a pilgrimage to the Ancestral Land today still sees the image of the Hung Kings and their subjects plowing the fields and hunting. In the flocks of Lac birds spreading their wings to fly back and perch on the bronze drums, history has recorded the merits of the Hung Kings, generation after generation, to establish their careers. The Van Lang country of the ancient Vietnamese with its rice civilization and the brilliant Red River civilization has created a rich and unique national cultural identity, laying the foundation for the strong and long-lasting development of the Vietnamese people. Through thousands of years of changes, every inch of land, every tree at the foot of Nghia Linh, every stone step on the clouds of Trung and Thuong temples, has been imbued with the legend of the morality of origin.

Four thousand years of Vietnamese strength is also an indelible mark of traditional cultural values ​​forged over many generations.

For four thousand years, from Phong Chau, Mother Au Co's children have crossed many mountains and hills, overcome the miasma of the mountains, expanded the land, sowed crops with great enthusiasm, the fields became more and more spacious, the roads became longer and wider; In the forest, under the sea, everywhere is soaked with the sweat and efforts of generations of Hong and Lac children, from plowing the fields, hunting, to the glorious feats of conquering nature, building dikes to control floods, repelling foreign invaders, and protecting the country.

Four thousand years of Vietnamese strength are also the indelible mark of traditional cultural values ​​that have been nurtured through many generations. One of those values ​​is the spirit of community solidarity; the two words “compatriots” associated with the story of Mother Au Co’s Hundred Eggs. Patriotism and compatriotism have thus become sacred values.

The 54 ethnic groups on this S-shaped land, whether Kinh or Thuong, whether in the highlands or lowlands, are all children of the Mother, of the same tree, of the same branch. Whether at home or abroad, the Vietnamese people always remember that they share a common Ancestor's Death Anniversary. Returning to the sacred mountain of Nghia Linh is returning to the value of the spirit of great national unity - the factor that creates the nation's endogenous strength throughout the long journey of building and defending the country yesterday, today and forever.

The history of the Vietnamese people’s struggle to build and defend the country for thousands of years is a history of victory of the spirit of solidarity from top to bottom, of millions of people as one. From the glorious monarchical dynasties that defeated the Song, pacified the Champa, resisted the Yuan, eliminated the Ming, and defeated the Qing… to the Ho Chi Minh era – the era when the entire nation knew how to “rise up from the mud” to liberate itself from slavery, becoming citizens of an independent and free country. Wherever and whenever history entered the most difficult twists and turns, it was successfully resolved by the wisdom and strength of the spirit of solidarity of the entire people.

More than 700 years ago, after two victories over the Yuan-Mongol, King Tran Nhan Tong had to suppress his anger and write::"The galaxy hero cleanses the world of war".meaning: Pull the entire Milky Way down to wash away all resentment, suffering and war conflicts so that all people can live in peace, so that"The mountains and rivers will forever be steadfast in gold".

In his Testament left to the entire Party and the entire people, President Ho Chi Minh mentioned the word "Solidarity" 8 times. It is not only the sympathy of geniuses but also the wisdom about the origin, about the longevity of a nation that knows how to take solidarity as the root to build national potential. The strength of Vietnam, therefore, is the strength of the tradition of loyalty, humanity, and altruism passed down from our ancestors for thousands of years.

This year's Hung Kings' Commemoration Ceremony has the theme "Sacred Origin, Hung Kings' Ancestral Land" associated with the 10th anniversary of UNESCO's recognition of the Hung Kings' Worship as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Over the past 10 years, with the efforts of central ministries, branches, local authorities and international organizations, the values ​​of the Hung Kings' Worship Heritage have spread strongly in the community, deeply penetrating the cultural and spiritual life of the Vietnamese people.

There are hundreds of places nationwide to worship Hung Kings and historical figures related to the Hong Bang era. In addition to the sacred Nghia Linh, many localities also built Hung Kings Temples, or held Ancestor Commemoration Ceremony at sacred temples and cultural and historical centers. On this day, the northern provinces and cities often organize palanquin processions and bring offerings to Viet Tri to present to the National Ancestor. Every year on the 10th of the 3rd lunar month, Nghe An people gather at Hong Son Temple (Vinh city) to offer Chung Cake, Day Cake, incense, flowers, and local products on the National Ancestor Commemoration Day, to commemorate the merits of their ancestors.

Khanh Hoa, Ho Chi Minh City, Gia Lai, Dak Lak... are bustling with cultural and spiritual activities on the anniversary of the Hung Kings. Recently, the Hung Kings Temple in Can Tho City was inaugurated, becoming a sacred cultural connection point for the people of the Nine Dragons land from the far South to express their respect to the Hung Kings - those who have contributed to building and defending the country.

Artifacts from the Hung King era in Nghe An are preserved at the Nghe An Museum. Photo: Cong Kien

These days, many families also prepare offerings to the Hung Kings; the Vietnam History Museum organizes tours to the Hong Bang period, extracurricular activities in schools introduce documents, bringing young people back to the history of thousands of years of building and defending the country of our ancestors, which is a vivid proof of the strong vitality of the Hung King Worship in the community. "Global Vietnamese National Ancestor Day" has been held abroad for several years, not only for overseas Vietnamese to return to their roots, but also as a way to connect with friends from all over the world, together preserving and spreading the global values ​​of the Hung King Worship, contributing to defining Vietnamese culture.

With all the national pride and boundless respect for our ancestors, we are more deeply imbued with Uncle Ho's teachings: "The Hung Kings have built the country, let us together protect the country", through concrete actions, turning the cultural and spiritual values ​​of the Hung King worship into material strength, fostering the spirit of national solidarity, mobilizing all resources to join hands in building and protecting the Fatherland, so that the morality of the origin is always an endless source of strength for the Vietnamese people, for the prosperous and eternal Vietnam!