LookAtVietnam Bridge – Nam Giao offerings, a great royal ceremony in the past, was resumed on June 4 in Hue city.
During the Nguyen Dynasty, the Nam Giao stage was built at the south of the Hue citadel in 1806. The stage had three storeys, symbolising the King as the bridge between the Earth and Heaven. The stage was located on a 390m x 265m campus, surrounded by a pine forest.
To honour the historical and cultural values of the Nam Giao offering ceremony, Hue Festival organisers tried to resume the ceremony in 2002, 2004 and 2006, but they weren’t satisfied.
Learning experience from the previous years, this year the Nam Giao offering ceremony had only two parts: The King leaves his palace for Nam Giao Stage and the offering rituals at the Nam Giao Stage.
Accordingly, the King left Thai Hoa palace for Ngo Mon, through Quang Duc gate to Phu Van Lau wharf. That was the way of Nguyen Kings in the past.
The offering ceremony at the Nam Giao Stage took place from 7-9pm to pray for good weather, peace and prosperity for the people and the country.
The Nam Giao Stage was reproduced similarly to the original stage. Eight villages in Thua Thien-Hue province performed rituals at eight altars of deities which were placed at four corners of the second floor of Nam Giao stage.
The major rituals were conducted by the King on the third floor with hundreds of rites.
The ceremony ended at 9pm when the King left the Nam Giao stage to go back to the palace.
 |
|
The King leaves his palace |
 |
 |
|
The Nam Giao Stage; The King goes up to the Nam Giao Stage |
 |
|
Making rituals |
PV | 
