Hung Kings Temple Festival 2016 to feature numerous new activities

The 2016 Hung Kings Temple Festival is set to unfold at the Hung Kings’ Temple Relic Site in the Vinh Phuc Province from April 12-16 (the sixth to tenth day of the third lunar month).
The festival will feature the participation of five provinces - Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc, Gia Lai, Binh Phuoc and Ca Mau.
The ritual will feature traditional activities including an incense offering to Lac Long Quan and Au Co, the nation’s legendary father and mother, and another commemorating the Hung Kings, and a palanquin procession ceremony.
A wide variety of cultural activities, including a folk song festival, a street carnival introducing visitors to the diversity of the province’s folk culture, as well as banh chung (square glutinous rice cake) and banh day (round glutinous rice cake) making contests, are also scheduled during the main festival.
Notably, the 2016 festival will add numerous new events such as a photo and documentary exhibition entitled ‘Hung Kings Worship Ritual – National Identity’ and a display of documents and artifacts on the intangible cultural value of Xoan singing in Phu Tho Province and the Hung Kings worship ritual, as well as an exhibition featuring fine arts works and photos by photographers from Phu Tho, and a show introducing poems and songs on the province.
The national festival is a chance for Vietnamese people to pay tribute to the ancestors of the nation. The event also contributes to raising public awareness of preservation and promotion of the Hung Kings worship ritual and Xoan singing, as well as promoting the tourism development of Phu Tho Province..