Con Son-Kiep Bac Spring Festival 2024 opens in Hai Duong

A water procession ceremony is held at the Con Son-Kiep Bac Spring Festival in Hai Duong province

Thousands of visitors have flocked to Hai Duong province to attend the Con Son-Kiep Bac Spring Festival 2024 being held at Con Son-Kiep Bac special national relic site in Chi Linh city.

This year, the festival takes place to commemorate the 690th death anniversary of Huyen Quang (1334 - 2024), the third progenitor of the Truc Lam Zen Buddhism sect.

Various cultural and spiritual activities including a water procession ceremony, a sacrifice ceremony on Ngu Nhac mountain, a food contest featuring the making of local handmade cakes, and some folk games and traditional sports are being held at the festival.

In particular, at an opening ceremony on Monday, the provincial authorities announced the Prime Minister's decision to recognise a set of three Buddha statues at Con Son pagoda as a national treasure.

Speaking at the ceremony, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Trieu The Hung, said that Con Son has become one of the major Buddhism centres of the Vietnamese Truc Lam Zen Buddhism sect since the 14th century.

The Truc Lam Zen sect contributed to empowering the Dai Viet army and people in maintaining independence and sovereignty against foreign invaders.

Every Spring, Con Son pagoda receives a large number of visitors and compatriots from across the country and abroad who come to celebrate, light incense to commemorate the founder Zen Master Huyen Quang and enjoy the beautiful landscape.

Huyen Quang, whose real name was Ly Dao Tai, was born in 1254, originally from Van Tu village, now in Thai Bao commune, Gia Binh district in the northern province of Bac Ninh.

He was a talented intellectual and famous for his poetry and literature. He obtained his doctorate at the age of 21, and then followed Buddhism.

Together with Monk King Tran Nhan Tong, he wrote Buddhism scriptures, popularised Buddhism across the country and became the third progenitor of the Truc Lam Zen sect. He spent his last days and died at Con Son pagoda.

Con Son-Kiep Bac was recognised as a national heritage site in 1962 and a special national heritage site in 2012. In 2013, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism named the Spring Festival at Con Son pagoda and the Autumn Festival at Kiep Bac temple as national intangible cultural heritages.

Currently, Hai Duong, Quang Ninh and Bac Giang provinces are working together to promote the value of the Con Son-Kiep Bac special national relic site, and finalising dossiers for the Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem-Con Son Kiep Bac landscape and relic complex to seek UNESCO recognition as a world heritage site.

TB (according to VNS)