Mo is the name of a job and also a type of cultural heritage which is folk cultural performance activities practiced in funerals and some religious and life cycle rituals of the Muong ethnic group. It consists of Mo prayers, the performance environment, and Mo practitioners or Mo artisans.
Through generations, Mo prayers have been passed
down orally in the community. Only when they are collected, translated and
published in the form of books do they exist separately from people.
Most of Mo prayers nowadays are called Mo Muong.
They are the collections of verses recited in traditional funeral rituals of
Muong people. They are divided into "cat Mo” or "roong Mo”, similar to chapters
in literature. Each Mo chapter has its own theme and purposes for each item in
a funeral ritual. The chapters may tell folk epics, customs or knowledge.
Each Muong community has its own Mo version but
overall, they are basically similar to one another. The existence of various Mo
versions has helped expand the heritage’s coverage in the spiritual life of
Muong ethnics.
A number of Mo versions have been collected in
Hoa Binh province, and three of them have very big content and been published.
Collector Bui Thien said it takes up to 23 consecutive days to fully perform Mo
with 115 "roong Mo” and more than 44,000 lines of verse.
The study publicised in three volumes of Bui Noi
features over 22,000 lines of Mo verse. Another book published in 2010 by the
Hoa Binh provincial People’s Committee introduced more than 22,500 lines.
In 1997, the National Culture Publishing House
re-printed the book "Mo (Su thi va Than thoai) Dan toc Muong” (Mo (Epics and
Myths) of the Muong ethnic group), compiled under the chair of Vuong Anh. The
Muong language section of this book has 22,989 lines of Mo verse which are the
typical Mo version of Muong ethnics in Thanh Hoa province.
In 2011, the Folk Literature and Arts
Association of Vietnam and the Labour Publishing House published the book "Mo
tha kha lenh ploi”, collected and translated by Dinh Van An and Dinh Xuan Hanh.
The Muong language section of this book includes 10,193 lines of Mo verse of
Muong people in Son La province.
Mo Muong is classified into "Mo nghi le” (or
ritual Mo), "Mo Tliew” (or story-telling Mo) and "Mo Nhom” (in the Viet-Muong
language group, "nhom” means watch or visit).
Ritual Mo is performed at religious rituals.
"Mo Tliew” is in fact a story-telling ritual.
This is a very special Mo genre that tells epics such as "De Dat De Nuoc” (Bearing
Earth, Bearing Water), "San Muong khong lo” (Hunting the giant Muong), "Con chu
keo loi” (Chopping down the chu tree), "De gao” (Bearing rice), and "Lam nha
san” (Building stilt houses). These are folk epics the Muong ethnic group
created a long time ago. They reflects the daily life, including working
activities and the fight against wild animals and the nature, of people in the prehistoric
time when humans moved their residence from caves to valleys and plain areas
and began cultivating water rice and splitting social classes.
Meanwhile, Mo Nhom guides listeners through
history and geographical areas by describing the landscape and specialties in
certain Muong communities. Some examples of this type are Mo Nhom Muong Bi, Nhom
Khu Dol and Nhom Muong Thang.
What does Mo Muong contain?
Mo Muong bears a set of values expressed
in diverse ways, including:
Folk literature: which is the Mo prayers,
legend stories and epics, which reflect the history and explain things and
phenomena in life, as well as customs, beliefs and language of Muong people.
The outlook on life: Conceptions on life
of Muong people, the geography in areas that Muong people are living in.
The worldview: the Muong’s conception on
the universe, which is believed to have three levels and five worlds, and the
nature…etc
Folk knowledge: production experience,
calendar, classification of plants, experience in dealing with nature.
Space for Mo performance: the traditional
funeral of Muong people and the system of rites, cultural symbol, burial house,
and tomb …etc , for the funeral where Mo is performed. Folk costume and music …
etc.
Folk beliefs: the worship of ancestors,
the progenitor of Mo, or ritual for living persons, the worship for lucky and
peace, worship of plants, sacrifice rites (as seen in Mo buffalo, Mo cow or Mo
chicken)…
The
educational value of Mo Muong remains relevant in the life today. It is an oral
textbook.
The value
of cultural protection: Thanks to Mo Muong, through nearly 100 years under the
domination of French colonialists, foreign faiths have been difficult to
penetrate into the Muong community. At present, if Mo Muong is lost, the Muong
people and their culture will lose the ability to defend against foreign
culture.
In short, Mo Muong is the Muong folk encyclopaedia that has been orally handed down through many
generations.
Despite many research projects, the decryption
of Mo Muong remains limited compared to the great volume and expansive content
of Mo Muong.
The work is expected to be continued in the
future./.
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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