Phu Tho (VNA) – Activities withinthis year’s annual festival of the Hung Kings’ Temple, which falls on April 2,will be cancelled due to the acute respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2(COVID-19), according to authorities of the northern province of Phu Tho.
However, the part of commemoration willstill be performed, including the incense offering ceremony - the mostimportant ritual dedicated to the legendary founders of the nation.
Legend has it that Lac Long Quan married AuCo who later gave birth to a pouch filled with one hundred eggs, which soonhatched into a hundred sons, believed to be the ancestors of the Vietnamesenation. Their eldest son was made king, who named the country Van Lang and setup the capital in Phong Chau (nowadays Viet Tri city, Phu Tho province),beginning the dynasty of the 18 Hung Kings.
To honour their great contributions, acomplex of temples dedicated to them was built on Nghia Linh Mountain, and the10th day of the third lunar month serves as the national commemorativeanniversary for the kings.
The worshipping of the Hung Kings wasrecognised as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012./.