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(HBO) – A bamboo weaving competition took place on January 29 (the eighth day of the lunar new year), as part of the 2023 Khai ha (going down to the field) festival, the biggest traditional folk event of the Muong ethnic group in the northwestern province of Hoa Binh.
Competitors have created many beautiful products useful for daily life.
Twenty-eight members of 14 teams from communes and towns in Tan Lac district participated in the competition. Each team completes two products from bamboo within 30 minutes. With their creativity and skills, farmers completed many pieces associated with the production and daily life of the people such as fish baskets or chicken cages.
The festival is expected to promote the creativity and racial cultural identity. It also offers an opportunity for local residents to exchange experiences and strengthen community bonds.
According to the event’s organising committee, many products were completed very quickly while ensuring their beautifulness and usefulness. The team of Tu Ne commune was awarded the first prize while the second and third prizes went to those of Nhan My and Dong Lai communes. The committee also presented 11 consolation prizes to the rest./.
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 This effort requires not only protecting the cultural identity but also eliminating outdated customs and developing a modern cultural lifestyle, contributing to sustainable values for the Muong community in Hoa Binh province.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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