Sacred Hung King's Commemoration Festival

Hung King Temple in Phan Ri Cua Town is the communal house of Cam Hai village. The communal house was built by local people in 1859 to worship the local tutelary god and the ancestors who had contributed to reclaiming land and gathering people to establish villages on Phan Ri Cua land.

In 1958, the people added the Hung Kings to worship at Cam Hai communal house. In 1964, after Hai Hoi pagoda was completed, Phan Ri Cua Buddhist Association invited Buddha to worship in the pagoda, and invited Saints to worship in the relic. Since then, this place has been reserved for worshiping the Hung Kings. The name Hung Vuong Temple was born, became the official name of the relic and exists until today.

In 2016, on the occasion of attending the Hung Kings' Commemoration Day at Hung Temple (Phu Tho), the delegation of Binh Thuan province solemnly invited "soil, water and incense sticks" from Hung Temple Phu Tho to their hometown Binh Thuan. Water was taken from Ngoc Well, soil was taken from Nghia Linh Mountain, and incense sticks were from the incense burner at Thuong Temple. Hung Kings' Temple in Phan Ri Cua town was chosen as the place to enshrine and worship these precious and sacred relics.

Every year, the Hung Kings' Commemoration Festival in Phan Ri Cua always attracts local people and tourists, including the ceremony and the festival. The content, form of rituals, offerings and the way of performing in the Hung Kings' Commemoration Festival at the Hung Kings' Temple have shown solemnity and respect, ensuring that it is both suitable for the common Hung Kings' worship belief of the whole country and adapted to the customs and practices of Binh Thuan people. Mr. Vo Minh Chien - Secretary of the Party Committee of Phan Ri Cua town, said: Organizing the Hung Kings' Commemoration Festival in the spirit of thrift, healthiness, practicality towards the origin and ancestors; has the power to attract people and religious and belief organizations from everywhere to attend; respectfully offering incense to express gratitude to the Hung Kings who built the country and the ancestors who defended the country. The festival is a cultural event that meets the people's need for cultural enjoyment; contributing to educating the tradition and morality of "When drinking water, remember its source".

According to tradition, the festival takes place from the morning of the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month. The provincial leader (the master of ceremonies) reads the congratulatory message and beats the drum to open the festival. There are 9 young men and 9 young women in traditional costumes walking in 2 rows carrying 18 Chung cakes and 18 Day cakes from the ceremony yard to the temple. Provincial leaders, organizations, and people come to offer Chung cakes, Day cakes and incense to commemorate the Hung Kings. Communal houses, pagodas, temples, shrines, mausoleums, etc. organize solemn ceremonies with flags, parasols, gongs, drums, palanquins, etc. to invite the gods and ancestors of the village to come to pay their respects and offer gifts to the Hung Kings to report on the life and business of the villagers in the past year, praying for a more prosperous and abundant life in the new year.

After the ceremony, the procession of the villages came to pay their respects to the Hung Kings. The temple management board performed the main ceremony of the Hung Kings with many solemn rituals taking place according to the customs and traditions passed down by their ancestors. As for the festival, the program organized activities such as making banh chung and banh giay, performing arts, sports, etc., creating a united and bustling atmosphere on the great national holiday.

The Hung Kings' Commemoration Festival at the Hung Kings' Temple in Phan Ri Cua Town plays a great role and value in the spiritual and religious life of the people. The festival has also preserved and promoted unique cultural values that have existed for thousands of years, deeply ingrained in the soul, becoming the traditional morality of every Vietnamese person. This is also the day for the entire Party, the entire army and the entire people to vow to forever engrave in their minds the advice of President Ho Chi Minh: "The Hung Kings had the merit of building the country - Uncle and nephew, we must work together to protect the country", "No matter where you go/Remember the Hung Kings' Commemoration Day on the 10th of March".

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