“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 a place where people from all directions gather, where descendants worship their ancestors.
Belief in the origin of the country
Every nation in the world has its own origin, but few nations or peoples have a belief in their national ancestors like the Vietnamese. The Hung King worship belief originates from the traditional ancestor worship belief of the Vietnamese people with the philosophy of "people have ancestors" and "drinking water, remembering its source" which has been passed down from generation to generation, becoming a national folk ritual. Because of its uniqueness and specialness, the Hung King worship belief was recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on December 6, 2012 and has become a social phenomenon with its own identity in Vietnam; contributing to creating a system of spiritual values and Vietnamese cultural identity.
According to legend, the first king of the Vietnamese land, Kinh Duong Vuong, passed the throne to his son, Lac Long Quan. Lac Long Quan married Au Co and had 100 sons, 50 of whom followed their mother to the mountains and 50 of whom followed their father to the sea to establish a long-lasting career. The eldest son was crowned King by Lac Long Quan, with the title Hung Vuong. The King named the country Van Lang and took Phong Chau (Phu Tho) as its capital. The king and his mandarins were passed down from father to son through many generations, but history recorded 18 generations of Hung Kings.
In the Vietnamese mind, Hung Temple is still a place where all four directions gather, where descendants worship the merits of their ancestors.
To honor the founding period of the nation and express gratitude to the heroes who contributed to the founding of the country, since the feudal period, kings have built temples to worship Hung Kings. According to the Jade Genealogy written in the Tran Dynasty, in 1470 under King Le Thanh Tong and in 1601 under King Le Kinh Tong, copies were stamped and placed at Hung Temple, saying: “… From the Trieu Dynasty, Dinh Dynasty, Le Dynasty, Ly Dynasty, Tran Dynasty to our current dynasty, Hong Duc Hau Le, they still burn incense in the temple in Trung Nghia village. The taxed lands from the past left for worshiping purposes remain unchanged…”.
During the Nguyen Dynasty, in the second year of Khai Dinh (1917), Phu Tho Governor Le Trung Ngoc presented to the Ministry of Rites the decision to establish the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month every year as the International Day (National Holiday, National Death Anniversary). This was confirmed by the Hung King's stele, erected by Tham Tri Bui Ngoc Hoan, Phu Tho Province Governor, in the 15th year of Bao Dai (1940), which is also located at Thuong Temple on Nghia Linh Mountain. From then on, the Hung King's Death Anniversary on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month every year was officially legalized.
Continuing the noble tradition of our ancestors, especially the morality of “remembering the source of water when drinking”, right after the successful revolution, President Ho Chi Minh signed the Presidential Decree No. 22/SL – CTN dated February 18, 1946, allowing civil servants to take the 10th day of the third lunar month off every year to participate in organizing activities of the Hung Kings’ Commemoration Day – towards the nation’s roots. President Ho Chi Minh also visited Hung Temple twice (September 19, 1954 and August 19, 1962). Here, he advised: “The Hung Kings had the merit of building the country – We, your descendants, must work together to protect the country”. He also reminded: “We must pay attention to protecting, planting more flowers and trees so that Hung Temple will become more and more solemn and beautiful, becoming a historical park for future generations to visit”. This message of Uncle Ho has become a sacred call in the hearts of every Vietnamese person, to together preserve and promote the value of the historical and cultural traditions of the Ancestral Land, of which Hung Temple is a symbol.
Along with the development of the country over thousands of years of history, the worship of Hung Kings has become a unique form of cultural activity in the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people. Returning to the place of worship of the nation's ancestors is not only returning to the origin but also a pilgrimage to the traditional faith, the sacred and mysterious spirit of the ancestors, the sacred soul of the mountains and rivers. It is also thanks to the faith and the immortal worship in the consciousness of every Vietnamese child towards their ancestors, grandparents, parents and the Hung Kings that in historical periods, the strength of the nation has been multiplied many times. Overcoming all difficulties and challenges, the Vietnamese people still exist and constantly develop.
Human values in the new era
In terms of cultural beliefs, the Hung King worship, whose origin is the ancestor worship, demonstrates the spirit of "remembering the source of water", filial piety to ancestors, race, grandparents, and parents. The Hung King worship is a form of expressing people's belief in the presence of the Hung Kings; is a basic, popular belief, meeting the spiritual needs of Vietnamese people in the country and overseas Vietnamese; affirming that Vietnamese people have a common ancestor and origin - that is the "red thread" that creates the strength of great national unity, the pride of the Vietnamese people throughout its historical journey.
The procession to Hung Temple of the localities surrounding the Hung Temple historical relic site.
The Vietnamese people's worship of Hung Kings is a thread connecting the past, present, and future and is continuously cultivated through many generations. That is why the worship of Hung Kings has a lasting vitality and a wide spread in the Vietnamese community. It is also the source of strength, gathering the solidarity of generations of Vietnamese people living in all parts of the country, including our overseas compatriots, to participate in the cause of building and defending the Fatherland.
The Vietnamese have a saying: "Humans have ancestors/Like a tree has roots, like a river has a source". The Vietnamese people have always been proud of being the descendants of the dragon and the fairy, the descendants of the Hung Kings. Although the Vietnamese people travel all over the world, in their souls they always have a common home to return to, which is their homeland. The worship of the Hung Kings has been deeply rooted and spread widely. 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.
With cultural values cultivated through many generations, through thousands of years of history, Hung King's Commemoration Day has not only become a symbol of national spirit, a source of strength, but also a tangible bridge for belief and pride in the nation's glorious past.
Understanding and respecting the origin of the nation, not only makes us proud of our origins as descendants of the dragon and fairy, but also makes us more aware of the responsibility of today's generation in cultivating, inheriting and promoting the heritages left by the Hung Kings and previous generations. Educating awareness of ancestors and national pride is also the premise and basis for forming compassion and community ethics, reminding each individual to act according to social norms. Through that, we arouse national pride, promote the meaning of patriotism, gratitude for the contributions of building the country, and are recognized and worshiped by the people./.
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