Nation’s legendary father, mother commemorated
The northern province of Phu Tho held rituals on April 2 (the sixth day of the third lunar month) to commemorate the death anniversary of the nation’s legendary Great Father Lac Long Quan and pay incense tribute to Great Mother Au Co.
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Following the solemn rites at the Hung Temple historical relic site, numerous sport and culture activities were held, such as “hat xoan” (xoan singing), men’s volleyball, chess, and wrestling competitions, crossbow shooting, stick pulling, a photo exhibition on local tourism, and a special art performance.
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 Heaven’s God 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 coast with 50 children while Au Co went to the highlands with the other 50.
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 worshipping rituals of the Hung Kings are closely related to the ancestral worshipping tradition of most Vietnamese families which forms an important part of people's spiritual lives. It was recognised by UNESCO as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012.
The commemoration of Lac Long Quan, Au Co and the Hung Kings is held annually at the Hung Kings Temple in Phu Tho province in the first days of the third lunar month, with the main activity organized on the 10th day.
Millions of people flock to the Hung Kings Temple in Phu Tho for the Hung Kings Temple Festival every year.
