The annual organization of the Hung Kings' Commemoration Day, especially abroad, is the bond that connects generations of Vietnamese people, conveying the spiritual and cultural activities of the Hung Kings' worship.
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| Vietnamese Ambassador to Canada Pham Vinh Quang respectfully offers incense at the Hung Kings' altar. (Source: VNA) |
Every year, on the occasion of Hung King's death anniversary (10th day of the 3rd lunar month), Vietnamese people, wherever they are, organize many rich and diverse activities towards their roots because for generations, in the minds of "Lac Hong's descendants," Hung Vuong is the founding king of the country, the ancestor of the Vietnamese people.
The Hung King worship - originating from the ancestor worship - has become a unique form of cultural and religious belief in cultural life, a symbol of the spirit of great national unity, demonstrating the good morality of "when drinking water, remember the source, when eating fruit, remember the person who planted the tree" of the nation.
Hung King's death anniversary has become a national holiday, a common festival of the Vietnamese people, the day when millions of hearts beat as one, all eyes look in the same direction.
This is the first heritage of Vietnam to be honored in the category of beliefs and also the first time UNESCO has recognized the Ancestor Worship belief as a Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This further affirms the cultural value of the nation, contributing to the recognition of the importance of the ancestor worship rituals of the Vietnamese people in countries and territories around the world (where Vietnamese communities live).
For overseas Vietnamese, organizing the Hung Kings' Commemoration Day is not only to express the respect and gratitude of descendants to their ancestors, but also to contribute to preserving and educating cultural traditions for future generations.
For them, the Hung Kings' death anniversary is a way to affirm that overseas Vietnamese are an inseparable part of the Vietnamese ethnic community, contributing to further strengthening the great national unity bloc.
Mr. Dang Trung Phuoc, President of the Canada-Vietnam Association, said that this is an opportunity for Vietnamese people living far away from their homeland to gather at the "Vietnam House" in Ottawa and together turn their thoughts to the country as well as remember the merits of the Hung Kings. It is during these occasions when they gather to participate in the Hung Kings' Commemoration Ceremony that overseas Vietnamese people realize the sacred meaning of the two words "compatriots".
At the Hung Kings' Commemoration Ceremony held on April 13 in Kuala Lumpur, Ms. Tran Thi Chang, President of the Malaysia-Vietnam Friendship Association, emphasized that the organization of the Hung Kings' Commemoration Ceremony demonstrates the sacred sentiments deeply ingrained in the hearts of every Vietnamese citizen, helping the community understand more about the value of the Hung Kings' worship, strengthening solidarity, and inspiring the younger generation to turn towards their homeland and country.
Teacher Nguyen Thi Lien, head teacher of a Vietnamese class in Malaysia, could not help but be moved when confiding: Hung Kings' death anniversary is the "invisible cultural thread" connecting all Vietnamese people around the world towards their national roots, connecting compatriots at home and abroad.
In order to preserve and widely promote the "Hung King Worship Belief" abroad, the project "Global Vietnamese National Ancestor Day" has been organized since 2015.
According to Vice President of the Association of Vietnamese in the Russian Federation Tran Phu Thuan, the Global Vietnamese National Day is truly a project of great humanistic value, with the mission of uniting the nation, positioning Vietnamese values globally, and working with international friends to preserve representative intangible cultural values of humanity.
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| Solemn ceremony performed by the Vietnamese community in Saint Petersburg, Russia. (Source: VNA) |
For the second and third generations, family traditions, hearing stories from parents in Vietnamese is the most practical way for children to approach ancestral culture.
Dao Van Anh, 19 years old, a generation of Vietnamese born and raised in Russia, was told by her father about the legend of King Hung and although she has never lived in Vietnam, she truly feels the meaning of Hung King's Commemoration Day, to see herself as a member of the big family of nearly 100 million Vietnamese people.
For the Vietnamese community abroad, the Global Vietnam National Day project is also an opportunity to contribute to enhancing understanding, sharing, and cultural exchange between Vietnamese communities in the integration process with the people of the host country.
Mr. Nguyen Duy Nhien, Chairman of the Vietnamese Association in the Czech Republic, said that the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic is increasingly developing and integrating deeply into the host society. Along with that, members of the community always turn to their homeland, promoting the precious traditions of the nation right in their second homeland.
The President of the Vietnamese Association in the Czech Republic believes that the beautiful images of the Vietnamese community in this Eastern European country will certainly warm the hearts of our ancestors.
Through the organization of the Hung Kings' Commemoration Day, the overseas Vietnamese community, especially the second and third generations of overseas Vietnamese, understand more about the value of the Hung Kings' worship, strengthen solidarity, and turn towards the homeland and country, thereby fostering national spirit, overcoming challenges and rising up, affirming the position of the Vietnamese people.
During the Cultural Festival of Returning to the Roots organized by the Vietnamese Embassy in the US, Que Anh and Thanh Thao - international students living in the DMV Region (including Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia) - could not hide their pride in "showing off" about being able to participate in a performance at the festival.
Overseas Vietnamese attending the event "Towards the Roots" all shared the same wish that the Vietnamese Embassy would organize more meaningful activities like this and expand the scale to promote the beauty of Vietnamese culture to a large number of overseas Vietnamese and American friends who love Vietnam.
It can be seen that the annual organization of the Hung Kings' Commemoration Day, especially abroad, is the bond that connects generations of Vietnamese people, conveying the unique spiritual and cultural activities of the Hung Kings' worship, creating a strong attraction, especially for the young generation, thereby arousing national pride, promoting the meaning of patriotism, and gratitude for the contributions to building the country.
Attending the ceremony to honor the Hung Kings' descendants held in Saint Petersburg, Russia on April 13, the leader of the Ho Chi Minh Institute at Saint Petersburg State University, Professor Vladimir Kolotov, repeated Uncle Ho's saying: "The Hung Kings had the merit of building the country, we, uncles and nephews, must work together to protect the country", affirming that this saying is the source of great national unity, becoming a strong internal force to help Vietnam gain independence, build the country, integrate internationally and contribute responsibly to the world community.
(according to VNA)
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