Push back bad customs

Outstanding ethnic minority families were honored and given gifts at the Commendation Exchange program organized by the Provincial Women's Union.

Push back bad customs

In the past 2 years, Ai Quoc has been the leading commune in the province in eliminating child marriage and consanguineous marriage. While in 2021, there were still 15 consanguineous couples and about 10 child marriages in the commune; from 2024 to now, the situation of consanguineous marriage and child marriage in the area has disappeared. One of the families that has made an important contribution to this activity is the family of Ms. Trieu Thu Huyen, Co Piao village, Ai Quoc commune.

Ms. Huyen shared: Being in charge of propaganda work at the Commune Women's Union, I often work with members of the commune and village-level advocacy committee to proactively grasp information about families at risk of early marriage to promptly have effective propaganda solutions such as: campaigning to stop organizing weddings, canceling marriages... Besides, we also actively propagate to relatives and neighbors about the consequences of giving birth early, pointing out the consequences of incestuous marriage, violating the Law on Marriage and Family... Therefore, even in my own family, I have eliminated backward thinking, each member knows how to love, share and build a happy family, my family has also achieved the title of cultural family for many consecutive years.

Like Ms. Huyen's family, Mr. Duong Van Ngoan and Ms. Trinh Thi Doi's families are typical Mong families in pushing back bad customs in Khuoi Lam village, Cao Minh commune, Trang Dinh district. Mr. Ngoan is the head of Khuoi Lam village. He said: In the past, people had backward customs in weddings and funerals. Specifically, in weddings, the dowry was very heavy, the wedding party was very wasteful, there was still a situation of early marriage; as for funerals, they were often organized in a complicated manner, the coffin was left in the house for many days. Therefore, after work, I often talk to and encourage people in the village to encourage their children to go to school when they are old enough, not to get married early. My family now also practices family planning, stopping at two children to raise them well. Currently, Khuoi Lam village no longer has early marriage, many bad customs in weddings and funerals have been abolished, this is also a typical village of the commune and district in preserving and promoting national cultural identity.

Outstanding ethnic minority families share experiences in maintaining family happiness at the exchange and recognition program organized by the Provincial Women's Union.

The above are just two of many typical examples showing the importance of cultural families in eliminating backward customs in ethnic minority areas. Cultural families are models for ethnic minorities to learn and follow in raising children, developing the economy , and taking the lead in propagating to the people to eliminate bad customs such as: early marriage, incestuous marriage, dowry, lavish and expensive weddings; the situation of holding separate funerals for sons, daughters holding separate funerals when their fathers and mothers pass away (called by the ethnic group as tang leo)...

It is known that up to now, some bad customs such as early marriage and incestuous marriage in the province have disappeared; cultural families also demonstrate civility in weddings and funerals by organizing solemnly, in accordance with traditional customs and legal regulations. In 2024, the whole province will have over 98% of weddings and 97% of funerals organized in a civilized manner.

Active participation of all levels and sectors

To achieve that result, in recent years, all levels, sectors and organizations have implemented many practical activities. Mr. Duong Minh Tue, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said: In order for cultural families in the province to become the core in preserving good traditional cultural values and eliminating bad customs from life, in recent years, we have promoted propaganda for people to understand and actively implement the movement "All people unite to build a cultural life", including the movement "Building cultural families" associated with many practical solutions such as: propaganda, guidance, distribution of training materials and equipping skills and expertise in family activities and family work for all classes of people; replicating the model of family clubs; implementing the set of criteria for family conduct; rewarding and praising exemplary families in all areas of social life...

Accordingly, in recent years, members of the family work steering committees at all levels have focused on integrating propaganda on the contents of the movement to build "Cultural families" and "Cultural residential areas" associated with eliminating backward customs and practices, implementing civilized lifestyles in weddings, funerals and festivals. Specifically, from 2022 to present, the family work steering committees at all levels have organized 804 integrated propaganda classes for nearly 35,500 participants, coordinated with population collaborators to propagate 615 classes for over 33,800 people, distributed 1,000 books on criteria for building happy families to the grassroots...

Along with that, on the occasion of major holidays of the year, especially the International Day of Happiness (March 20) and Vietnamese Family Day (June 28), the Provincial Steering Committee for Family Work has directed departments, branches and sectors to organize conferences, seminars and forums on the topic of family happiness, praising exemplary ethnic minority families in building happy families, contributing to preserving cultural identity and pushing back bad customs.

In particular, the activity of building a model of family clubs, in which club members are cultural families, has become the nucleus in propagating the building of a cultural and civilized lifestyle, pushing back backward customs in ethnic minority areas. Not only stopping at talks, at each meeting, the clubs also create more familiar, easy-to-understand and attractive forms of propaganda such as: organizing competitions, contests to learn about civilized lifestyle, about the harmful effects of bad customs, integrating messages to push back bad customs into skits, short plays, folk songs. This helps people absorb knowledge naturally and easily remember. Currently, in the province, there are nearly 1,000 "Sustainable Family Development" clubs with more than 21,000 participating families. Each model has from 20 to 30 members.

Mr. Khong Hong Minh, Head of the Department of Culture, Science and Information of Huu Lung district, said: The District Family Work Steering Committee has directed departments, offices, and People's Committees of communes and towns to strengthen propaganda and raise people's awareness of family work associated with implementing civilized lifestyles in weddings and funerals; criticize and eliminate bad customs. At the same time, the People's Committees of communes and towns have issued regulations on implementing civilized lifestyles in weddings and funerals and commitment documents for families to register to implement. In particular, to improve the quality of the title of cultural family, we have promoted the construction of family club models. Currently, 24 communes and towns in the district have built family club groups and models. Thereby, gradually changing the thinking, lifestyle, and ways of doing things of families in the area in a more progressive and civilized direction, contributing to pushing back bad customs.

Not only Huu Lung, districts and cities also focus on enhancing the role of cultural families in preserving cultural identity and eliminating bad customs. In particular, from 2022 to present, residential areas across the province have deployed and mobilized people to register to participate in implementing the set of criteria for family conduct of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The set of criteria is likened to a handbook to help families have a disciplined life, family members know how to respect each other, thereby improving the quality of families meeting cultural standards. The rate of cultural families increases every year, specifically in 2024, the whole province had 89.4% of households achieving the title of cultural family (an increase of nearly 10% compared to 2021).

Thanks to the practical solutions of all levels and sectors and the consensus of the people, especially the cultural families, it has positively impacted the improvement of people's material and spiritual life, pushing back backward customs. At the same time, it has formed people with a healthy lifestyle, knowing how to share love and agree to build an increasingly civilized and modern society.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/gia-dinh-van-hoa-hat-nhan-xoa-bo-tap-tuc-lac-hau-5051029.html