Enjoy the Aro village festival

The Co Tu people in Aro village happily dance with drums and gongs to celebrate the new year. Photo: ALANG NGUOC

After three drum beats, in the space of the Aro village's gươl, hundreds of locals and tourists witnessed the traditional "buffalo eating" ritual to celebrate the new gươl of the local Co Tu people.

The program was organized by the Department of Culture and Information of Tay Giang district to exploit and develop the new mirror celebration ritual into a tourism product according to Project 6, the National Target Program on socio -economic development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas, period 2021 - 2030.

Traditional village festival

Busy with the festival activities, Mrs. Hoi Thi Giec - Head of Aro village, like the "general director", appeared everywhere and at all times. Since the inauguration of the new gươl a few years ago, this "buffalo eating" ritual has been considered a traditional village festival space, gathering a large number of local people to participate and experience. In the new gươl space, the Co Tu community happily danced with drums and gongs, celebrating this important project, which has humanistic significance in the Tay Giang highlands.

“The newly formed Guol, in addition to showing the attention of authorities at all levels to the traditional cultural values ​​of the Co Tu, also shows the high spirit of solidarity of the Aro village community.

Taking into account the opinions of the village elders, the restored mirror architecture still retains its traditional features, especially the cultural values ​​of the community. Mirrors are common property, so despite the busy year-end work, people still arrange to participate, considering it a common responsibility with the village community" - Ms. Hoi Thi Giec shared.

Before the festival, Co Tu women prepare food to serve the festival. Photo: ALANG NGUOC

Aro village has 170 households/588 people, mainly Co Tu people living. Over the years, with the spirit of community solidarity, Aro people have worked hard to make a living, build a new life, especially in the work of preserving traditional culture.

Mr. Hoih Plóc - a resident of Aro village said that for the Co Tu people, the new sword festival has a very important meaning, showing the spirit of solidarity and reporting to the gods about the important project that has just been completed.

To prepare carefully for the festival, many days before, villagers held meetings and mobilized donations from the community.

“Whoever has something contributes. Those who do not have material things contribute spiritually, together with the villagers erecting the pole, making tents, preparing food... Items for the festival such as drums, gongs, and dishes for tourists are carefully prepared by the villagers with the cooperation of the village community. When everything is in place, all the villagers gather in front of the new gong, sing and dance together, beat drums, gongs, and participate in meaningful folk games” - Mr. Hoih Plóc confided.

Contribute to conservation

Village elder Hoih Dzuc said that the Co Tu people's gươl is a symbolic structure for the entire community, so any work related to the community is discussed at the gươl. Based on that point of view, the Co Tu people believe that the size of the gươl reflects the strength of solidarity and community spirit of that village.

Performing the ritual of worshiping the gods. Photo: ALANG NGUOC

“The Guol is a sacred place where gods, grandparents and ancestors reside. Therefore, before the new Guol festival takes place, the village elders report to the ancestors and pray for the gods to bless the people's lives to develop, for good crops, and for their children to study well. After the rituals to worship the gods are finished, the villagers beat the drums and gongs, and dance together to express the joy of the community" - said elder Hoi Dzuc.

According to Mr. Alang Men - Vice Chairman of Lang Commune People's Committee, in Co Tu culture, the new gươl festival is considered especially important, evaluating the solidarity of the village community in restoring and preserving traditional gươl architecture.

Through the festival, we aim to encourage and motivate the village members who have made many contributions to the restoration of the mirror, contributing to the preservation of the beautiful cultural identity of the community. This is also an opportunity to strengthen the solidarity of the village community, share experiences in production and labor, develop the economy, and help each other progress...

Co Tu people in Aro village participate in folk games during the festival. Photo: ALANG NGUOC

Mr. Briu Hung - Head of the Department of Culture and Information of Tay Giang district said that the locality always focuses on preserving, maintaining and promoting the traditional cultural values ​​of the Co Tu people, especially the village mirror culture.

Thanks to that, up to now, 63 villages in 10 communes across the district have traditional mirrors, serving the needs of daily life and general meetings of the community. In 2024, Tay Giang will review, repair and build 16 new Co Tu mirror structures with a budget of more than 1.8 billion VND.

“In the process of preserving and promoting the existing mirror values ​​in the district, in the coming time, we will continue to strengthen propaganda work so that people can understand the Party's policies and guidelines related to cultural preservation, including mirror architecture.

Fortunately, people's awareness of preserving traditional cultural values ​​is quite good, creating a foundation for localities to build conservation plans associated with effective community tourism development in the coming time," Mr. Hung shared.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/cung-vui-hoi-lang-aro-3145000.html