Hung King worship shows pride in one's roots
"A tree has roots. Water has a source. Birds seek their nests. People seek their ancestors." Over thousands of years, with many ups and downs, in the minds of the entire nation, Hung Temple is still the place where all four directions gather, where descendants worship the merits of their ancestors. Returning to Hung Temple is like a drop of blood returning to the heart.
Hung King's Commemoration Day is an occasion for us to remember the merits of King Hung in founding the country, and at the same time to understand and be proud of our origins, our people and our ancestors. Hung King worship is important in the Vietnamese people's consciousness, affirming that Vietnamese people share a common ancestor and origin - that is the "red thread" that creates the tradition of solidarity, love and mutual support. Hung King worship has become a cultural and religious symbol connecting the past with the present, helping to foster feelings for family, village and nation.
In the dossier submitted to UNESCO to recognize “Hung King Worship” as a World Cultural Heritage, it was clearly stated that the value of the heritage is to express respect for ancestors, in accordance with the spirit of “When drinking water, remember its source” of the Vietnamese people. According to the assessment of UNESCO experts, “Hung King Worship” has met the most important criterion of the five criteria, which is that the heritage has outstanding global value, encouraging the common awareness of all ethnic groups in promoting that value. Therefore, on December 6, 2012, UNESCO officially recognized “Hung King Worship in Phu Tho”, a symbol of the spirit of great solidarity, the traditional morality of “When drinking water, remember its source” of the Vietnamese people, as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
The inscription of the Hung Kings worship ritual into the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity has contributed to the recognition of the importance of ancestor worship rituals in many other countries, thereby encouraging the international community to acknowledge the similarities in beliefs of peoples around the world, while promoting respect for the cultural identity of the Vietnamese people.
More than 10 years after UNESCO recognized the Hung King Worship as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, we have increasingly realized the power of the Hung King Worship that is being promoted in the present and the future. The Hung King Worship is the pride of the origin and the aspiration for unity, the unique philosophy of the Vietnamese nation and people, associated with the tradition of wet rice agriculture, the will to be self-reliant and the spirit of solidarity against foreign invaders and natural disasters, creating the strength of Vietnam. That is also the strength of the origin, gathering the solidarity of generations of Vietnamese people living in all parts of the country, including our overseas Vietnamese, to participate in the cause of building and defending the Fatherland.
Every nation in the world has its own origin, but the Vietnamese people are different in that they worship the same ancestor - King Hung. It can be said that there are few places that have such a unique form of ancestor worship. It has become a social phenomenon with its own identity in Vietnam; contributing to the creation of the spiritual value system and cultural identity of Vietnam.
The Hung King worship belief originates from the national source, from the honor of historical figures who have contributed to the founding of a nation and a people. Through thousands of years of history, in the consciousness of our people, King Hung is the first king who founded the country, the ancestor of the Vietnamese people. Therefore, people honor King Hung as the Holy Ancestor and have built temples on Nghia Linh mountain to worship him for generations. The attitude of respecting Hung King as the first ancestor of the nation, according to the morality of "drinking water, remembering its source" of generations of Vietnamese people, makes the Hung King worship belief increasingly sacred and has a deep influence on all regions of the country, including our compatriots living abroad.
Hung Temple and Hung King's death anniversary have been deeply rooted in the sacred hearts of every Vietnamese person for generations. This is a spiritual convergence point, a convergence of unique cultural identity and the spirit of national solidarity. Coming to Hung Temple is coming to the center of Hung King worship, every Vietnamese person can return to the origin of the nation, return to the soul of the country and express the gratitude of the Vietnamese people to the founding merit of the Hung Kings, the first kings of the Vietnamese people. Everyone participates in the Hung King's death anniversary festival with solemnity and gratitude to the origin of the nation. Hung King is a symbol of solemnity and respect. And on this occasion, we all remember together that this nation, this country has a common origin: a sacred, divine origin and is attached to the whole nation.
The worship of the Hung Kings has been deeply rooted and spread everywhere. Wherever Vietnamese people live, there is the worship of ancestors - the worship of the Hung Kings. The relics and places of worship of the Hung Kings everywhere are always preserved, maintained and built by the Vietnamese people. Those spaces of worship of the Hung Kings are vivid and convincing evidence of the preservation and development of the worship of the Hung Kings in the Vietnamese community.
Currently, 1,417 monuments have been built nationwide to worship the Hung Kings, their wives, children, and generals of the Hung Kings' time; and the annual Hung Kings' Commemoration Day is held to express gratitude to our ancestors. This is a testament to the fact that the Hung Kings' worship is a unique cultural heritage that has lasted through the nation's history; and at the same time, it is an important occasion for us to introduce to the world a heritage that has permeated the soul and emotions, becoming the traditional morality of every Vietnamese person./.