Bamboo calendar a unique folk knowledge of Muong people in Hoa Binh

7/6/2023 - 6:33:54 PM

(HBO) – Coming into being very early in the history of the Muong ethnic group and containing unique values, the bamboo calendar, called Doi or Roi calendar, of Muong people in Hoa Binh province was recently honoured as part of the national intangible cultural heritage. Basing on the time division in a year and the movement of the moon and stars, local residents discovered and have applied the rule of the nature to their daily life.

Photo: Mo artisan Bui Van Lung in Phong Phu commune, Tan Lac district, uses the bamboo calendar to forecast good days for local people’s affairs.

Bui Van Lung, a Mo Muong artisan in Muong Lam hamlet of Phong Phu commune (Tan Lac district), said that the bamboo calendar plays a special role in the life of the Muong community and also forms a priceless treasure of folk knowledge. Aside from the popular Western calendar, all production and daily activities, as well as customs, rituals, festivals and important events of each person and family in the Muong community in Hoa Binh, are based on the bamboo calendar.

The calendar comprises 12 carefully made bamboo bars which are inscribed with notches, lines, and holes called symbols that represent days, months, and natural phenomena in a month.

The bars are inscribed with 30 notches representing 30 days in a lunar month.The days from the 1st to the 10th are called "cay” days, the 11th to 20th "long” day, and the21st to 30th "cuoi” days. Muong people often hold important events on the first days ("cay” days) of a month.

At present, apart from being used in the community, the bamboo calendar is also kept at the Muong Cultural Space Museum and the private Museum of the Muong Culture in Hoa Binh city to preserve and introduce it to local residents and visitors from far and wide.

Artisan Bui Thanh Binh, a researcher of the Muong ethnic culture, said that the calendar is the quintessence built up over many generations of Muong people and also a typical demonstration of the Muong - Viet people’s consciousness of the world, obtained through their observation of the movement of the moon and the Doi (Roi) constellation.

Until the late 20th century, the bamboo calendar was still used across the areas of Muong people. Nowadays, there remain five ancient sets of the bamboo calendar dating back hundreds of years and more than 100 new ones being used in the community in Hoa Binh province.

Together with the Khai Ha Festival, the bamboo calendar of Muong people in Hoa Binh was recognised as part of the national intangible cultural heritage in 2022.

Luu Huy Linh, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, held that it is necessary to enhance the bamboo calendar preservation, step up communications and research to teach locals in how to apply it to their daily life, and make use of the calendar and other special cultural heritage pieces to develop tourism./.

3.6 Billion VND Allocated to Preserve Traditional Cultural Values of Ethnic Minorities in Lạc Sơn District

As part of Project 6 under the national target program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in 2024, Lạc Sơn District, Hoa Binh province focuses on diverse and practical activities to promote the project's goal: "Preserving and promoting the beautiful traditional cultural values of ethnic groups in conjunction with tourism development."

Mobilizing the power to preserve and promote the cultural heritage values

After 3 years of implementing Resolution No. 04-NQ/TU, dated October 11, 2021 of the Provincial Party Standing Committee on preserving and promoting the cultural heritage values of Hoa Binh province's ethnic groups in the period of 2021 – 2025 with the orientation to 2030 (NQ04), it has mobilized the participation of the entire political system, the people from all walks of life and there have been positive changes. So far, out of the 10 targets of NQ04, 3 targets have been met and exceeded the plan set for 2025. Typically, 70% of the intangible cultural heritage (ICH) of ethnic groups in the province is on the list of the national ICH items and they have been protected and restored, exceeding 20% of the proposed Resolution.