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Feb 17, 2016 / 13:21

Hanoi organises an incense offering ceremony in Thang Long Royal Citadel

The Thang Long-Hanoi Relic Conservation Centre in collaboration with the Association of Thang Long cultural heritage held an incense offering ceremony to commemorate late Vietnamese Kings at the Kinh Thien Palace in the Thang Long Royal Citadel on February 16 (the ninth day of the first lunar month).

Attending the event were Politburo member and Minister of Public Security Tran Dai Quang, representatives from ministries and agencies, and Central and Hanoi leaders.
 
The Party and State leaders attend the ceremony.
The Party and State leaders attend the ceremony.
Thousands of visitors also joined the ceremony.
The ceremony featured various traditional rituals, including a palanquin procession staged by more than 400 people and incense offerings.
A dragon dance of Trieu Khuc village artisans in Thanh Tri district reproduced a dragon lore to pray for prosperous country and hightlight the national tradition of drinking water and remembering source.
Besides, drum performances of Yen Hoa villagers in Cau Giay district expressed Thang Long's heroic mettle of thousand years of civilisation.
The ceremony also included a seal opening ceremony. Earlier, archaeologists unearthed a wooden royal seal made under the reign of King Tran Thai Tong (1257). 
The Thang Long Royal Citadel was built in the 11th century during the Ly Dynasty to mark the independence of Dai Viet, the former name of Vietnam. The central sector of the imperial citadel was listed as a UNESCO's World Heritage Site on July 31, 2010.
The incense offering ceremony aims to pay homage to the national ancestors while honouring the traditional values of the citadel. 
The Thang Long-Hanoi Relic Conservation Centre plans to make the incense offering ceremony an annual spiritual and cultural event.