Published:  00:00 Wednesday - March 25, 2009

On March 24, tens of thousands of domestic and foreign tourists attended a special royal ceremony named Xa Tac, which was traditionally dedicated to the Earth (Xa) and Cereal (Tac) Gods and has been revived in the former imperial capital of Hue.

This is the second time the event has been organized since the 2008 Hue Festival to uphold the values of traditional Vietnamese culture, introducing Hue’s royal music, dance, costumes and customs.

The Xa Tac ceremony includes two parts - one for the king, his mandarins and troops to parade from the imperial palace and another at the Xa Tac altar.

The Director of the Hue relics conservation centre, Phung Phu, said that in the past, the ritual was held twice a year to pray for peace and prosperity in the nation. It first appeared during the early Le dynasty.