The worshipping ritual dedicated to Au Co, the legendary mother of Vietnam, was recognised as national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism at a ceremony held in Phu Tho Province on March 21.

At the Mother Au Co Temple Festival.

Addressing the event, Vice Chairman of Phu Tho Province People’s Committee said that the ritual, practiced at the Mother Au Co temple in Hien Luong Commune, Ha Hoa District, was the first of its kind in Phu Tho Province to win the accolade.

He asked the Ha Hoa District authorities to actively coordinate with the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and functional agencies to take practical measures to safeguard and promote the treasured value of the heritage riual, including raising public heritage of the ritual and preserving the cultural status of Mother Au Co’s temple.

The worship ritual for Mother Au Co in Hien Luong Commune contributes to expressing the Vietnamese people’s deep gratitude to their national ancestors while educating younger generations on national pride and patriotism and consolidating solidarity in the community.

The ritual is manifested in many forms, with the most prominent among them being the Mother Au Co Temple Festival, which is observed from the seventh to the ninth days of the first lunar month.

The festival is opened with a ritual worshipping the guardian deity at the local communal house, followed by a palanquin procession of offerings from the house to Au Co Temple.

The Mother Au Co temple was built under the reign of King Le Thanh Tong (15th Century) and named a national historical and cultural relic site in 1991.

Nhan Dan