Sacred Ancestor's Death Anniversary
(Baonghean) -“No matter where you go, remember the anniversary of the ancestors on the 10th of March” – the old song welcomes and invites visitors back to their roots, imbued with the sacred spirit of the nation’s mountains and rivers. The anniversary of the Hung Kings in Vinh Citadel, Nghe An Province is held every year at Hong Son Temple. This is also an opportunity for the descendants of the Hung Kings to turn to the origins of the nation, to show gratitude to their ancestors, and to remind everyone to be grateful, to follow their ancestors’ example and live according to morality.
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On the morning of April 23, 2010 (March 10th of the lunar calendar), Vinh City was rainy and cold. However, people still flocked to Hong Son Temple to attend the Hung Kings' Anniversary. At exactly 7:30, the ceremony began, but the rain became heavier, but the number of people attending the Hung Kings' Anniversary was increasing. Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan - Block 13, Trung Do Ward - Vinh City is over 70 years old this year, but she arrived here very early. Ms. Xuan confided: "Every year I come here to attend the Hung Kings' Anniversary and burn incense to show my respect and remembrance of the great contributions of the Hung Kings". Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy in Doi Cung Ward (Vinh City) and other women in the neighborhood were also present at the Hong Son Temple relic nearly an hour before the opening ceremony. Their offerings were carefully prepared, with banh chung, gio, and on the tray of five fruits were bright red roses that the women pinned very beautifully. Ms. Thuy said: "The Hung King's death anniversary is an opportunity for everyone to remember their roots, to remember their homeland. Every year, we sisters and I return here regardless of rain or shine."
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The Hung Kings' Commemoration Day has two parts: a state ceremony and a spiritual ceremony. The spiritual ceremony has three parts: offering flowers, making offerings and offering incense. Here, delegates and people who came together respectfully offered incense to express their gratitude for the great contributions of the Hung Kings. Before the spirit of the Hung Kings, delegates and people promised to promote the tradition of patriotism, strive to build the homeland more and more prosperous; unite, compete creatively, contribute to the construction and development of Vinh city to become more and more civilized and modern, worthy of the stature of a class I urban area and the economic and cultural center of the North Central region. This is also the way every Vietnamese citizen carries out the sacred advice of Uncle Ho: "The Hung Kings had the merit of building the country. We, uncles and nephews, must work together to protect the country".
Thu Huong
