A shaman performs Mo rituals at Khoi communal house festival in An Nghia commune, Lac Son district.
For Muong people, Mo holds significance in the social life, helping motivate and relieve their mind in face of events. Mo is performed by shamans who possess Mo knowledge, remember tens of thousands of Mo sentences and are skilled in practicing rituals. In Muong ethnic society, Mo performers are folk intellectuals and prestigious persons in the community. At present, Lac Son district has nearly 20 Mo melodies in various types of folk beliefs and festivals. The practice of Mo has so far been narrowed but its essence remains.
In order to preserve, maintain and develop traditional culture with the goal of inheriting and upholding unique cultural values of Muong ethnic group, Lac Son district has made it easier for Mo Muong artisans to perform. Additionally, Mo artisans and lovers also teach the art to their children while linking Mo Muong culture with tourism activities to effectively promote its value via traditional festivals such as Dinh Bang festival in Ngoc Lau commune and But Khu Dung procession festival in Nhan Nghia commune. The district also opened a course to teach Muong language and traditional Mo Muong to young generations, laying a foundation for them to restore and preserve the beauty and humanitarian value of Muong ethnic group, uphold Mo Muong art, and organise culture-art activities to meet public demand.
Chief of the district Office of Culture and Sports Nguyen The Hung said authorities of Lac Son district plan to build a Muong cultural space preservation area on a site of over 10ha in Vanh village, Yen Phu commune. Those under preservation include Mo Muong, Muong gongs, ethnic musical instruments, Thuong rang and Bo meng singing, house on stilts and customs of Muong ethnic people, contributing to raising the sense of responsibility, especially among young generations, for preserving and upholding the value of Muong cultural heritages, turning the Muong cultural space into an outstanding tourist product, for the sake of economic and socio-cultural development in the locality./.
People of the Muong ethnic group have been residing in Hoa Binh province throughout history. Hoa Binh province is a land of indigenous Muong ethnic people. Over the time, the Muong ethnic group has created and preserved a rich and diverse folk culture, in which there is a prominent and unique genre with profound humanistic values - the Mo Muong. Mo Muong has helped to form and nurture the character and soul of the Muong people as well as the land of Hoa Binh.
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