Day of Remembrance of the Hung Kings
Description:
Recently, the National Assembly of Vietnam adopted a law according to which from this year the Day of Remembrance of the Hung Kings (March 10 on the lunar calendar) is declared a national holiday and a day off. In 2007, this day falls on April 26. The celebrations continue throughout the week. The main festive events will be held at the Hung Kings Temple complex in the northern province of Futho.
The festival begins with a solemn ritual of sacrifice. Among the gifts presented to the spirits of the Hung kings, there is a square cake "banchung" and a round cake "banjai". After the ritual begins a solemn procession with the participation of residents of local villages. In addition to the solemn part, during the holiday, folk games, festivities, performances of amateur art collectives, as well as fun competitions for the performance of the song genre “Khatsoan” are organized.
The Hung kings in Vietnam are considered the founders of the country of Wanlang - the original state structure of the ancient Viet (Vietnamese), which existed in the Bronze Age about two thousand years BC. To this day, the Hung kings are semi-mythological heroes and occupy a sacred place in the history of the country.