Let the beauty of Muong culture shine.

Throughout their formation and development, the Muong people of Minh Son commune have created incredibly rich traditional cultural values, vividly expressed in their spiritual life, beliefs, festivals, clothing, and cuisine. Despite the ups and downs of history, these cultural values ​​have been preserved and promoted by the Muong people.

A cultural performance by the Muong ethnic people of Minh Son commune at the National Unity Day 2025.

We arrived at Minh Nguyen village just as the artisans and village elders were enthusiastically dancing and singing to the resounding sounds of gongs and drums. Ms. Le Thi Huong, a knowledgeable expert on the cultural values ​​of the Muong ethnic group and also the Party Secretary and head of Minh Nguyen village, said: "The village is mostly inhabited by the Muong ethnic group. Throughout a long historical process, Muong culture has been formed, developed, and deeply rooted in the community's life, clearly reflected in customs, traditions, beliefs, language, cuisine , clothing, festivals, folk knowledge, traditional games, and performances... To this day, the local people still preserve and promote these values."

When mentioning the most widespread cultural values ​​of the Muong ethnic group in the village, one cannot fail to mention "xường giao duyên" - a typical folk song of the Muong people. In the village, from the elderly to the young, everyone knows how to sing "xường giao duyên". Having been involved with the Xường Giao Duyên folk singing style since childhood, Ms. Lê Thị Hương shared: "Xường Giao Duyên is a typical folk song of the Mường people. Through this style, the various emotions of people, especially the feelings between men and women, are expressed in a subtle and profound way. Xường can be sung anywhere; it's not too particular about the location. Usually, people choose to sing around stilt houses, fireplaces, or by gently flowing streams, or in rice fields... as long as there's a place where many people gather, Xường can be sung. The unique feature of Xường Giao Duyên is that the lyrics are improvised on the spot, not following a pre-existing pattern, but creatively and harmoniously. The content of the Xường lyrics is very rich, and can praise the spirit of unity, mutual support, and love; praise the beauty of the homeland, villages, and country; and love between couples."

Over the years, to preserve and promote the value of Xường Giao Duyên (a traditional Vietnamese folk singing style) in daily life, the village has regularly organized cultural exchanges and competitions to create a platform for artisans and those knowledgeable about Xường Giao Duyên to perform. At the same time, they actively encourage those knowledgeable to pass on their knowledge of Xường Giao Duyên to the younger generation. As a result, Xường Giao Duyên has become an indispensable part of the villagers' spiritual lives.

At the brocade weaving workshop of Ms. Pham Thi Bao in Nhoi village, there are many brocade products such as scarves, skirts, shirts, etc., woven with exquisite techniques and the skillful hands of the Muong people. Speaking about the journey of preserving the brocade weaving craft, Ms. Bao said: "Born and raised in this land, like many other Muong girls, from a young age, my grandmother and mother taught me how to weave, passing on each stitch and thread. And so, as I grew up, I learned to weave brocade and could weave dresses and shirts for myself and my family."

To create a traditional textile product, women must go through a very elaborate and meticulous process, from growing cotton, raising silkworms, spinning silk, threshing cotton, reeling yarn, to weaving fabric. The colors of the threads and yarns are entirely natural. Besides ancient patterns, the Muong people also create new and unique patterns, making the products increasingly diverse and meeting the ever-growing demands of tourists. However, as society becomes more modern, the craft of brocade weaving is also facing the risk of disappearing. Therefore, restoring, preserving, and promoting the brocade weaving craft of the Muong ethnic group is essential, not only creating jobs and increasing income, but also making an important contribution to preserving the cultural identity of the Muong people.

With that in mind, she and several other women in the village previously established the Nhoi Village Brocade Weaving Group, and in 2018, they founded the "Preservation and Development of Muong Ethnic Brocade Weaving" club, attracting a considerable number of members. To ensure the club's continued growth and effectiveness, the members actively learn and create new designs, producing brocade products that suit consumer tastes and supply tourist areas and destinations . As a result, the products have become well-known to consumers, and the number of orders has steadily increased.

Minh Son is a region where approximately 65% ​​of the population are Muong ethnic people, mainly concentrated in Nghien village, Lo hamlet, Chu village, Ngoc Mun village, Nhoi village, Ngoc Thanh hamlet, etc. Throughout their history, the Muong people here have created an incredibly rich and diverse cultural heritage, which is still preserved and spread in daily life through customs, traditions, eating habits, clothing, language, and songs. However, in the context of modern socio -economic development, some traditional cultural identities of the Muong people are facing the risk of disappearing. Therefore, to ensure that Muong culture continues to shine in this new environment, the commune has actively organized many cultural and sports activities to maintain performance spaces for various forms of heritage such as Muong shamanism, Muong gongs, festivals, brocade weaving, and cuisine. The commune also facilitates the transmission of cultural values ​​from artisans to the younger generation; focuses on establishing clubs and performing arts groups to create an environment and space for the people to preserve, practice, and spread the national cultural heritage; and coordinates with relevant units to organize training courses on preserving and promoting the cultural values ​​of the Muong people...

Text and photos: Nguyen Dat

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/de-net-dep-van-hoa-muong-nbsp-toa-sang-274012.htm