The first Khmer folk singing festival of the Mekong Delta region opened in Soc Trang province on October 1, drawing more than 300 contestants, mostly students, amateur artists and artisans from regional localities.
A performance at the festival (Photo: VNA)
The 96 performances at the festival were themed around the Party,
President Ho Chi Minh, as well as positive changes in several localities, the
love for homeland, traditional festivals, and family sentiments.
Following the opening ceremony, audiences were able to enjoy nine folk
performances.
Soc Trang is home to a large society of Khmer people. According to Nguyen Van
Bon, Director of the provincial radio and TV station and head of the organising
board, the event is a chance for amateur singers to share and exchange
experience to promote the traditional culture of Khmer people through folk
songs and musical instruments.
The festival is also an opportunity to honour, preserve, and develop the unique
art of the Khmer people, contributing to developing the cultural identities of
the group, while meeting the demand for folk art from locals and audiences from
other localities, he said.
The festival will run until October 5 in Studio 3 of the Soc Trang radio-TV
station. The opening and closing ceremonies are broadcast live on channels STV1
and STV2 of Soc Trang TV, as well as channel 5 of the Vietnam Television.
Source: VNA
Gongs hold a special place in the cultural and spiritual life of the Muong ethnic people in Hoa Binh province. More than musical instruments, they are an indispensable part of community rituals and collective memory, echoing through generations as a spiritual thread linking the past, present, and future.
Preserving and promoting the cultural values of the Muong ethnic group has become an urgent task in the current context, as many traditional values face the risk of fading away. This effort requires not only protecting the cultural identity but also eliminating outdated customs and developing a modern cultural lifestyle, contributing to sustainable values for the Muong community in Hoa Binh province.
The Muong ethnic culture, deeply rooted in Vietnam’s mountainous north, continues to be preserved and revitalised by dedicated individuals and communities determined to safeguard their ancestral identity.
The Muong group is one of the largest ethnic minorities in Vietnam, primarily found in Hoa Binh province. The Muong people in Hoa Binh boast a rich and diverse cultural treasure that reflects the unique identity of this ethnic group. Accounting for over 63% of the province's population, they have created and preserved numerous distinctive cultural values, contributing to their unique identity. Their cultural heritage is an invaluable asset, at the heart of their national identity, and represents a vibrant spiritual life that must be preserved and promoted in today’s modern world.
For generations, the ethnic communities of Hoa Binh province, particularly the Muong people, have preserved vibrant festivals deeply intertwined with the region’s geography, nature, and social traditions. These celebrations enrich Hoa Binh’s spiritual life and cultural identity, reflecting both folk beliefs and the intermingling of ethnic customs. Many of these festivals have endured the test of time, passed down through generations and continuing to thrive today. Among them, the Khai Ha (Going Down to the Field) festival stands out as one of the most significant events of the Muong ethnic group.
Muong calendar, known as sach doi, is an ancient folk knowledge system developed through observations of the movement of the pleiades star. This unique calendar consists of 12 bamboo sticks, each representing a lunar month. Specific days within each month are marked with distinct symbols, guiding locals in determining auspicious and inauspicious days for important activities.
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