Hung Kings Commemoration Day
April 26 · Level 4 · #1372 of 2238
Vietnam's Hung Kings Commemoration Day honours the legendary rulers associated with the country's beginnings. Observed according to the lunar calendar, it brings ancestor worship and a shared sense of history into one national occasion.
How it is celebrated: pilgrims visit the Hung temples in Phu Tho, burn incense and present offerings. Processions, folk music and traditional games accompany the ceremonies, with rice cakes among the foods associated with the celebrations.
UNESCO added the worship of the Hung kings in Phu Tho to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012, recognising a tradition kept alive by local communities.