Incense offered to commemorate Hung Kings on Tet occasion
An incense-offering ceremony was held at the top of Nghia Linh Mountain in the northern province of Phu Tho in commemoration of Hung Kings – the legendary founders of the nation – on the occasion of the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival on January 21 (the last day of the last lunar month).
Vice Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Bui Van Quang reported ancestors on outstanding achievements gained by the country in general and Phu Tho in particular in the past year.
As the Lunar New Year is nearing, he wished the Hung Kings to bless the nation and the people to help the country overcome all difficulties and challenges and successfully implement the set socio-economic development goals.
Legend has it that Au Co, who was a fairy, descended to the earth on the seventh day of the first lunar month. She met with Lac Long Quan and gave birth to 100 sons.
Fifty of them followed their father to the sea and the other 50 followed their mother to the mountains in the upstream of the Red River.
When they arrived in the area which is now Hien Luong commune of Phu Tho’s Ha Hoa district, Au Co and her children were so captivated by the area’s stunning landscapes that they decided to settle there. The eldest son was made king, who named the country Van Lang and set up the capital in Phong Chau (modern-day Viet Tri city in Phu Tho province), beginning the 18 generations of the Hung Kings.
The kings chose Nghia Linh Mountain, the highest in the region, to perform rituals devoted to rice and sun deities to pray for healthy crops.