King Hung's death anniversary in Dai Loc homeland

The sacred and respectful atmosphere of the festival. Photo: HOANG LIEN

This year, the Hung King Commemoration Ceremony in Dai Loc was held on the evening of April 17 (the 9th day of the third lunar month), with the participation of leaders, former leaders of Dai Loc district, communes/towns and a large number of people. For decades, the Commemoration Ceremony has been solemnly held at Truong An Memorial Temple, a construction bearing the cultural and historical mark of the land and people of Dai Loc.

Truong An Memorial Temple was built from 1993 to 1995, on Truong An hill (Truong An village, Dai Quang commune, Dai Loc). This is a high hill located next to Provincial Road DT609, on one side is the winding Vu Gia river.

Every year, the Party Committee, government and people of Dai Loc choose this place to organize the Hung Kings' death anniversary to pay tribute to the merits of the Hung Kings and the predecessors who have aroused national pride in every Dai Loc citizen.

Because Truong An hill used to be one of the important strongholds of the US - puppet regime (Thuong Duc - Truong An - Ai Nghia) associated with the resounding victories of our army and people.

The construction of this place into a complex of memorial temples, flower gardens, ancestral worship areas, and martyr worship areas has both historical and spiritual significance. The memorial temple also has a worship area for the tablets of all the clans in the district, has stele inscriptions of Dai Loc doctors, has a list of martyrs from 18 districts/towns, and martyrs who died on Dai Loc land.

Hung King's death anniversary with ancient rituals. Photo: HOANG LIEN

Every year, no matter where they go, many Dai Loc people gather at Truong An memorial temple to burn incense and remember their ancestors.

Besides traditional rituals, the annual Hung Kings Commemoration Day also has cultural and artistic activities, poetry writing contests, banh day and banh chung wrapping contests, and competitions to learn about Lac Hong culture...

According to the ritual, the program begins with a procession of palanquins offering gifts to the Hung Kings from 18 communes/towns. Leading the way is the honor guard carrying the national flag and festival flags, followed by the ceremonial music team, youth carrying the festival flags, palanquins of offerings, delegations of district leaders and communes, towns...

Offering trays were placed around the memorial area, amid the sounds of drums, gongs, and ceremonial music. The ceremonial band and the sacrificial committee organized the ceremony in the form of an ancient ceremony that lasted for many hours. The eulogy was to praise the merits of the 18 Hung Kings who built and defended the country, and to praise the merits of our ancestors who protected the country and its borders. At the end of the ceremony, delegates offered incense to commemorate the Hung Kings, meritorious predecessors, and heroic martyrs.

According to Mr. Dang Van Ky - Permanent Vice Chairman of Dai Loc District People's Committee, the locality strives to ensure that the annual festival is organized thoughtfully and safely with a solemn, dignified ceremony that has a profound community character.

The festival harmoniously combines traditional and modern folk cultural activities. This is also an opportunity for each person to reflect and feel the sacredness of the land of origin. Thereby, contributing to the preservation and promotion of cultural values, traditional rituals, and community and ethnic solidarity.

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