Cultural heritage of Mong ethnic group

(BLC) - In Than Uyen district, the Mong people have the third largest population, after the Thai and Kinh people. Over the years, the Mong people here have always preserved and conserved the unique values of cultural heritage; contributing to improving the spiritual life of the people, creating a highlight to attract tourists to the locality.

Than Uyen district has over 1,400 Mong households with more than 8,500 people, living in 21 villages in 8 communes: Ta Mung, Phuc Than, Ta Hua, Khoen On, Pha Mu, Muong Cang, Muong Than, Ta Gia. Over the course of time, the Mong people in Than Uyen are always proud of the beauty of their traditional culture from beliefs, writing, music , arts to costumes, cuisine, house architecture...

One of the unique cultural heritages of the Mong ethnic group is the “Gầu Tào” festival, which is often held by the villagers on the occasion of the Lunar New Year every year to thank heaven and earth for blessing the villagers with prosperity, happiness, peace, luck; couples having children, couples having faithful lovers; bountiful harvests, rice and corn filling the floor, livestock and poultry filling the barn... The festival has 2 parts, the ceremony part with the ritual of worshiping the pole, the festival part with many fun activities such as folk games, singing, rice cake pounding contest...

After the ceremony, there is a bustling and jubilant festival, Mong boys are enthusiastically playing the flute and dancing; girls in beautiful dresses happily sing and dance senh tien. Couples sing love songs. Elderly and middle-aged people chat and share with each other about family life; ways to make a living , teaching the younger generation to continue preserving the ethnic culture. In another corner, people are happily throwing pao; young people play tu lu, push sticks, jump rope pao...

On every holiday, visitors can not only enjoy the unique “Gầu Táo” festival but also learn about the Mong ethnic cultural space with house architecture; watch traditional handicraft performances, folk performing arts; play folk games. Experience daily activities at the traditional Mong houses such as: grinding corn, carving patterns on fabric with beeswax, weaving, playing the flute, pounding rice cakes. Transform into Mong girls and boys in traditional costumes...

Identifying "culture as the spiritual foundation, the driving force for economic and social development in the locality", along with the efforts of the people, the Party Committee and authorities at all levels of Than Uyen district always pay attention to investing resources to develop the culture of ethnic groups, including the Mong people. Ms. Luong Thi Ty - Head of the Department of Culture and Information of Than Uyen district said: In order for the fine traditional cultural values of the Mong people to be preserved and promoted, becoming a highlight to attract tourists in the area, we strengthen propaganda, mobilize people to preserve cultural beauty; invest in building a Mong ethnic cultural space at the stadium. Regularly bring art troupes and panpipe troupes to participate in competitions, perform at major events of the province and district; exchange culture and art with other provinces. Organizing the "Gau tao" festival and Nam Pat market in Ta Mung commune has attracted thousands of tourists and people from all over the country to experience Mong ethnic culture.

This demonstrates the attraction of the Mong ethnic cultural heritage to tourists; the sweet fruit of the people's constant efforts to persistently and persistently preserve, conserve and develop unique cultural values into attractive tourism products in Than Uyen. At the same time, it is a driving force for other ethnic groups in Than Uyen district in particular, Lai Chau province in general, to continue the cause of cultural development in the spirit of the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress: "Developing comprehensive human beings and building an advanced Vietnamese culture, imbued with national identity so that culture truly becomes an endogenous strength, a driving force for national development and national defense".

Source: https://baolaichau.vn/v%C4%83n-h%C3%B3a/%C4%91%E1%BA%B7c-s%C3%B4c-di-s%C4%83n-h%C3%B3a-ng-b%C3%A0o-d%C3%A2n-t%C3%B4ng