(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./.
A great national solidarity festival was held in Ngai hamlet, Thach Yen commune, Cao Phong district, on November 8. Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People’s Committee of Hoa Binh province Bui Van Khanh, and Colonel Trinh Duc Thiem, Commander of the provincial Military Command, attended the event.
A great national unity festival was held in Cau Son hamlet in Nhuan Trach commune of Luong Son district on November 10.
The organising board for the Hoa Binh Culture and Tourism Week 2024 has officially released its press statement.
The People’s Committee of Hoa Binh province held a press conference on November 5 to announce the details of its upcoming 2024 Culture-Tourism Week.
The ancient Muong area of Muong Dong – Kim Boi is experiencing a cultural resurgence, becoming a popular source of spiritual enrichment and drawing locals from walks of life.
On November 3rd, the residential area, sub-zone 1, Mai Chau town (Mai Chau) organized the Great National Solidarity and the Culture Festival between the local people and the armed forces. There was the attendance of Colonel Do Thanh Binh, the Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, the Director of the Provincial Public Security; the leaders from the appropriate departments and branches of the province and Mai Chau district. This is the residential area chosen to host the Great Solidarity Festival in the district in 2024.
