(HBO) - The Muong ethnic group in the northern province of Hoa Binh has over 40 major festivals yearly, and gongs are used in up to 90% of the festivals. For the Muong people in Hoa Binh, gongs are not only a kind of traditional musical instrument, but also a "sacred treasure", a spiritual story told by 12 national tones and an intangible cultural heritage with a strong vitality as they are preserved by the community.
500 Muong ethnic artisans and women perform
the gong in the Muong Ethnic Group Festival in 2023.
Muong Vang people in Lac Son district in particular and the Muong people in Hoa
Binh in general consider gongs as sacred objects, not merely musical
instruments. The sound of gongs is the soul of their culture, echoing the three
levels of the heavens, reaching the after-death world. The sound of gongs is
spiritually calling the Muong people’s ancestors. The Muong people have
absorbed that sound from the womb. When they die, the sound of gongs tells them
the way. Muong people believe that each gong has a spirit and a soul, so it is
a "sacred treasure" with profound spiritual values.
In the house of artisan Bui Ngoc Thuan, of Bung 1 hamlet, Thu Phong commune,
Cao Phong district, a set of Muong gongs is put in the most precious
place. Thuan usually uses his
gongs to teach the next generations. He said that everyone born as a Muong must know how to play Muong gongs.
At present, every commune in Cao Phong district has a Muong gong performance
team. The teams practice
traditional gongs so that they can perform at celebrations, traditional
festivals, and cultural exchanges. Old people teach young people, parents teach
their children, and senior teach beginners. In that way, the old generation
passes it on to the younger ones, and the gongs are kept in the
community.
Cao Phong district
boasts about 3,000 gongs. Hop Phong and Dung Phong are the two communes with
the largest number of gongs.
Meanwhile, Hoa Binh province still keeps more than 11,000 gongs, mostly in
the four districts of Lac Son, Tan Lac, Kim Boi, and Cao Phong, and Hoa Binh
city. To preserve a top typical cultural treasure of the Muong people in Hoa Binh,
the teaching of Muong gongs has been given much care. The province’s Department of Education and Training has actively cooperated
with the localities to have gongs lessons at schools.
The Women's Unions and Youth Unions at the grassroots level also hold classes
to teach Muong gongs. Every year, the province opens dozens of gong classes for
hamlets/communes musical groups.
Up to now, hundreds of clubs have been established across the province to
preserve and promote the values of Muong gongs. Muong gong performances have by now become an indispensable part of festivals
and celebrations in the province./.
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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