Visitors offer incense at the High Temple (Đền Thượng). VNS Photo Minh Phương

Minh Phương

PHÚ THỌ — Preparations are underway in Phú Thọ for the province's biggest event of the year, the Hùng Kings' Festival.

Already streets leading to Hùng Kings Temple are lined with national and festival flags as well as colourful banners to welcome the thousands of tourists and pilgrims expected to visit.     

In the days leading up to the event, many visitors have already arrived. 

Trần Văn Năm, 66, travelled from HCM City with his family to the province to offer incense at the temple. Năm said a visit to Phú Thọ on this occasion is rare for his family as they live so far away.

“We have a trip to some provinces in the north. It’s close to the festival day, so we choose to visit Hùng Kings Temple in our trip," Năm said.

“To me, the event is one of the most important and sacred festivals. It is a day for every Vietnamese to remember their roots and pay tribute to their ancestors.

“My grandchild goes with us so I really want him to know about the story of the Vietnamese legendary ancestors Hùng Kings through the trip.”

Some people from neighbouring provinces visit the festival every year to commemorate the anniversary of Hùng Kings’ death and pray for good health and a prosperous year ahead.

A chưng and dày cake-making contest held yesterday at the Hùng Kings' Temple in Phú Thọ Province. The annual contest chooses who will be in charge of making the cakes to be offered to the Hùng Kings next year. This weekend's Hùng Kings' Festival is one of Việt Nam's most important holidays. VNA/VNS Photo Minh Quyết

Lê Xuân Lan, 34, from Tuyên Quang said: “I come here every year, it’s like a tradition in my family. I see that the temple is well-prepared to ensure the COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control. I think it is a good measure for tourists coming to the temple on festival days.”

The main ceremony commemorating the anniversary will be organised on the 10th day of the third month of the lunar calendar. It falls on Sunday, April 10 this year.

This year, the festival will also celebrate the 10th anniversary of the recognition of the worship of Hùng Kings in Phú Thọ as the world's intangible cultural heritage in 2012 by the UN culture agency UNESCO. 

Phạm Thị Hoàng Oanh, vice director of the Hùng Kings' Temple Historical Relic Site, said all the work is ready for the big day.

“Up to now, the ceremonial activities holding at the relic site, which is the incense offering ceremony of 13 districts from Phú Thọ Province, was organised successfully," she said.

“The programme for the incense offering ceremony to the nation's legendary father Lạc Long Quân and the nation's legendary mother Âu Cơ, and to the Hùng Kings are also well-prepared.

“The festive activities have been carried out together to serve pilgrims and tourists during the festival.” 

The exhibition with the theme of worshipping the Hùng Kings is being held at the Hùng Kings Temple Historical Relic Site.

Activities including contests making bánh chưng (square sticky rice cake) and bánh dày (sticky rice bun), and folk music performances, staged by artists of the provincial traditional art troupe will be held during the festival.

The folk music performance played during the festival attracts many tourists. VNS Photo Minh Phương

Nguyễn Quang Học, an artist of Phú Thọ’s folk art troupe, said: “This year, the festival celebrates the 10th anniversary of the UNESCO recognition of the worship of the Hùng Kings, so we try to bring local folk stories of the kings on stage to serve audiences.” — VNS