A ceremony to offer incense to the nation’s legendary father and mother, Lac Long Quan and Au Co, was held at the temple of the Hung Kings in the northern midland province of Phu Tho on April 8.
The activity opened the national commemoration of Hung Kings and the 2011 Hung temple festival.
Participants to the ceremony expressed their gratefulness to the national father Lac Long Quan and national mother Au Co for laying the foundation for the Vietnamese nation.
Legend has it that Lac Long Quan, whose real name was Sung Lam, the son of Kinh Duong Vuong and Than Long Nu, married the daughter of De Lai, fairy Au Co.
Au Co then gave birth to a pouch filled with one hundred eggs, which soon hatched into one hundred sons, believed to be Vietnam ’s ancestors. But soon after, Lac Long Quan and Au Co separated. Lac Long Quan went to the coasts with 50 children, Au Co went to the highlands with the others.
Their eldest son was made the King, who named the country Van Lang and set up the capital in Phong Chau (nowadays Viet Tri city, Phu Tho province), starting the 18 reigns of Hung Kings.
The commemoration of the Hung Kings is sacred to the Vietnamese people, who take the occasion to strengthen national solidarity and the resolve to build a strong and prosperous country.
It was made a national event in 2007, and the country is seeking UNESCO’s recognition for the worship of the Hung Kings as an intangible heritage of mankind.
This year’s Hung King festival is jointly hosted by Phu Tho, Tuyen Quang, Hoa Binh, Nam Dinh, Quang Ngai and Dong Thap provinces./.
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