In Nghia Lo, a land rich in cultural and historical traditions, visitors can immerse themselves in the endless Xoe dance and enjoy the unique and distinctive cuisine of the Thai ethnic group. Particularly noteworthy among their unique folk performing arts is Han Khuong.
Hạn Khuống is a unique folk performing art form of the Thái people in Nghĩa Lộ ward, formed and developed in close connection with the lives and activities of the local people. At the Hạn Khuống festival, Thái boys and girls immerse themselves in songs, expressing their love for each other in the festival of their village.
Distinguished artisan Dieu Thi Xieng from Nghia Lo ward shared: "Han Khuong is a community cultural center for the Thai ethnic people; a place for discussing and exchanging ideas about family matters; a place where young men and women come to get to know each other and express their love. At the same time, Han Khuong also educates future generations in the community about traditions and responsibilities in maintaining and promoting the cultural identity of the Thai ethnic people in Nghia Lo."
In Thai, "Han" means bamboo and "Khuong" means courtyard or ground in the village. Han Khuong means a platform made of bamboo or reeds erected in an open-air courtyard.
The platform is made of large bamboo poles joined together, about 6 meters long, 4 meters wide, and over 1 meter high. Around it are lattice-like bars, and there is an entrance. Access is via a staircase with 3 to 5 steps. In the center of the platform is a fireplace, and next to it is erected a cosmic tree, called "Lak Say" in Thai. This tree resembles the New Year's pole.
Participants in the Hạn Khuống festival must build a very sturdy platform because it is covered with various items for the village boys and girls to showcase their skills, such as spinning tops, spinning yarn, weaving, and embroidery.
There is no limit to the number of boys and girls participating in the Hạn Khuống festival, usually around 8-10 couples. The graceful Thai girls wear traditional dresses and blouses, with their hair styled beautifully and headscarves. The boys hold musical instruments to accompany the romantic songs sung during the courtship ritual. When the firelight blazes up, the Hạn Khuống night begins.
During the gathering, the group of girls went up to the platform and pulled out a ladder to place on the platform. Then, the "Ton Khuong" girl, considered the group leader, started a fire and placed a spinning wheel. Leaning against the "Lac Say"—a large, long bamboo pole with a top, decorated with colorful animal figures—she sat spinning. The other girls took turns sitting nearby, pulling yarn, embroidering, or sewing. The Han Khuong fire blazed brightly, illuminating a corner of the village, making the "Lac Say" even more radiant and luminous.
Hạn Khuống not only holds historical value but also embodies profound cultural, social, artistic, and educational values, clearly reflecting the spiritual life and rich, distinctive culture of the Thái ethnic group.
Distinguished artisan Dieu Thi Xieng further explained: In Han Khuong, the main style of singing is courtship singing, also known as "Khap Bao Xao". Thai men must sing in call-and-response style with the girls until they agree to let them onto the Han Khuong platform. The man must affirm that he is unmarried and gain the girl's trust before she will lower the ladder for him to go onto the Han Khuong platform.
When performing the Hạn Khuống dance, the young men begin to seek out the girls they like and hope to marry. They sing call-and-response songs to express their feelings. However, if a young man wants to sit, he must sing to ask for a seat; if he wants to drink water, he must sing to ask for water; if he wants to spin yarn together, he must sing to ask for it… Then they learn about each other's skills through making scarves, embroidery, weaving, playing the khene (a type of bamboo flute), playing the flute, weaving nets…
Currently, very few people know how to sing and perform the call-and-response songs of Hạn Khuống correctly. If not preserved and protected, the Hạn Khuống festival will be lost and fade away over time. Understanding the values and the risk of this cultural activity disappearing, Nghĩa Lộ commune has focused on restoring and preserving Hạn Khuống, encouraging village elders, artisans, and those knowledgeable about Hạn Khuống to participate in researching and developing scripts for this cultural activity.
Neighborhood groups in the ward always prioritize organizing the Han Khuong festival at the beginning of spring, helping many young people learn about the meaning of Han Khuong and take responsibility for preserving and safeguarding the traditional culture of the Thai ethnic group.
The organization and restoration of the Hạn Khuống festival in Nghĩa Lộ ward has boosted the dissemination and promotion of the unique cultural features of the land and people of this area to the people of various ethnic groups in the area, to neighboring provinces, and to tourists from near and far. This has created momentum for Nghĩa Lộ ward to continue preserving and restoring the culture of the Thái ethnic group, contributing to raising the level of cultural and spiritual enjoyment for the people.
Source: https://baolaocai.vn/dac-sac-net-van-hoa-han-khuong-post883954.html
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