(HBO) - Cao Phong district is known for Muong Thang - one of the four great ancient Muong regions of the province. Over the time, the unique cultural identities of the Muong Thang region have always been kept and promoted by the people there, which has become the pride of the generations.


 

The young girl in Muong Thang - Cao Phong is graceful in the national traditional costumes.

Bui Thi Ngoc, a 12th-grade students from the Boarding High & Secondary School for the Ethnic Minorities in Cao Phong district, feels both familiar and proud every time she wears the traditional costume of Muong ethnic group. Ngoc said that she was born and raised in Bang hamlet, Tay Phong commune - where 3 ethnic groups, Muong, Kinh and Dao live together, of which the majority are Muong ethnic people. As a girl, she likes wearing Muong dresses, speaking Muong language and everyone around her does the same. A community imbued with the national identity has nurtured her soul, whether she is at school or at home, the love and pride in the roots always warms the heart of the little student. 

like Bui Thi Ngoc, many girls born in the land of Muong Thang always feel the most loving when they wear the traditional costume of the nation. "As a Muong girl, I'm not brilliant / I have a pattern hidden in the shirt...”. It is the charming white scarf on the head, the short shirt with a length that just reaches the waist, then the bib, the shirt, the Xa Tich. Especially, the skirt’s waistband has vibrant colors and it is elaborately woven, creating an impressive highlight for the whole outfit. 

It is known that Muong Thang - Cao Phong is a land with a proud history and cultural depth. The community of Muong here has formed, connected and created the brilliant cultural values, contributing a special mark to Hoa Binh culture. 

The recorded history: This is an area located in the land with a long-standing culture from the old stone age "Son Vi culture” to the new stone age "Hoa Binh culture”. Since the ancient times, Muong people have composed and transmitted many literary and artistic works, such as the epic "Laying land, laying water”; the stories of "Nang Nga - Hai Moi”, "Ut Lot - Ho Lieu”, " The Flower Garden in coi Mountain... with many proverbs, folk songs, gong music and other folk knowledge. 

Whenever the New Year comes or during the traditional festivals, the unique cultural values of Muong Thang are lit up in Cao Phong. Typically, it is Bo temple festival (Thung Nai commune), the crop opening festival in Muong Thang (Dung Phong commune), the spring opening festival (Hop Phong commune), the water procession festival in Bong Lai temple (Cao Phong town), Khanh Pagoda Festival (Hop Phong Commune), Khanh Pagoda Festival (Thach Yen Commune)... The festivals are imbued with the soul of the traditional culture, which are vividly expressed in the modern cultural life, meeting the needs of the healthy cultural activities of the People. Therefore, those are the good and cherished values, which are always consciously preserved and promoted by the Party Committee, the government and the people of Cao Phong district. 

In an effort to preserve and promote the soul of Muong Thang culture, Cao Phong district has been synchronously deploying the solutions, in which, they have been focusing on investing in outstanding relics of history and culture in the area. At present, the district has 3 historical relic zones which have been recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as the national, cultural and historical relics and one historical - cultural relics at the provincial level. The relics associated with the traditional culture such as the legend of "The Flower Garden in Xcoi Mountain” (Hop Phong commune), the revolutionary monument of Cu Chinh Lan hero (Binh Thanh commune), Bo temple relics (Thung Nai commune) ... They not only have become an indispensable part of the modern cultural life, but they have also created a strong attraction and unique beauty for the land and the people of Cao Phong. In order to bring the traditional culture into the modern life, the district has actively been maintaining the cultural and artistic activities, restoring the folk games during the festivals and exploiting them so that they can become tourism products with the local cultural identities.

 


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