A cultural festival celebrating Hùng Kings, known as the country’s founders, will begin on Sunday (April 18) in HCM City and Thủ Đức City. Photo suoitien.com

HCM CITY — A cultural festival celebrating Hùng Kings, known as the country’s founders, began yesterday in HCM City and Thủ Đức City. 

The event opened with a series of traditional games and sports, and cooking competitions at the Hùng Kings memorial area located in the Park of Culture and National History in Thủ Đức City. 

The main ceremony commemorating the anniversary of the kings' death will be organised on the 10th day of the third month of the lunar calendar, which falls on Wednesday this year. 

It will include incense-offering rituals dedicated to the Hùng Kings, the National Father Lạc Long Quân and National Mother Âu Cơ, hosted by officials from the People’s Party Committee, People’s Committee and Motherland Front Committee. 

A special exhibition of pictures and ancient objects featuring the country’s history and culture in different periods is being held. 

Folk music and martial arts performances, staged by artists of leading traditional art troupes in the region, will be organised during the ceremony.

Vietnamese songs and instrumental music pieces will be performed. Patriotism, peace, love, youth and spring will be the shows’ themes. 

In HCM City, a youth camp called Tự Hào Nòi Giống Tiên Rồng (Proudly Our Legends) with university students will open at 8am on Thursday at the Tao Đàn Cultural Park in District 3. 

As per tradition, Suối Tiên and Đầm Sen parks in districts 9 and 11 will hold events for visitors to pay tribute to the Hùng Kings.

The HCM City Book Fair will also open on Nguyễn Văn Bình Street on Tuesday and Wednesday. The fair will display several thousands of book titles from four local major publishers and book distributors, including the HCM City Book Distribution Corporation and Phương Nam Books.

Many books will feature topics on Vietnamese history and culture. 

“I always visit Tao Đàn Park on Hùng Kings Memorial Festival every year to offer flowers and incense to commemorate the kings. I wish good health for my family members and prosperity for the whole country,” said Lý Văn Chung, a resident of HCM City. 

As per tradition, Suối Tiên and Đầm Sen parks in districts 9 and 11 will hold events for visitors to pay tribute to the Hùng Kings. Photo suoitien.com

According to Vietnamese legend, Lạc Long Quân, the son of Kinh Dương Vương, married Âu Cơ, the daughter of King Đế Lai. Âu Cơ then gave birth to a sack containing 100 eggs from which 100 children were born. 

The couple then decided to separate in order to populate the land. Half of the children followed their mother to the highlands, while the rest went with their father to the sea.

The first child went with his mother Âu Cơ to Phong Châu, now Phú Thọ Province. He then became King Hùng I and founded Văn Lang, the first recorded state in the history of Việt Nam.       

Ruling the country for 18 generations, the Hùng Kings taught the people how to grow wet rice. They chose Nghĩa Lĩnh Mountain, the highest in the region, to perform rituals devoted to rice and sun deities to pray for lush crops.

In Phú Thọ, the annual Hùng Kings Memorial Festival or Hùng KingsTemple Festival, hosted by the province’s government, is organised from the 6th to 10th day of the third month of the lunar year. 

The event consists of various ceremonies and entertaining activities for tourists and pilgrims nationwide. VNS