Every year in mid-April, Lao ethnic people living in Na Sang village, Nua Ngam commune, Dien Bien district (Dien Bien province) joyfully celebrate the traditional Bun Huot Nam New Year - a unique water festival imbued with traditional cultural identity.
Bun Huot Nam Festival is not only an occasion for the Lao community to pray for a new year of favorable weather and bountiful crops, but also an occasion to unite the community, preserve and promote the cultural beauty of Dien Bien province.
Bun Huot Nam - Water Splashing Festival is a traditional festival of Lao people in Dien Bien province in general and Na Sang 1 village, Nua Ngam commune, Dien Bien district in particular.
The festival is held with the wish to pray for favorable weather for a bountiful harvest, for all things to grow and develop; to wash away the bad luck of the old year, and to welcome a new year with good luck for the family and community.
The main ceremony begins with a worship ceremony for the gods presided over by artisans and village elders. This is a typical Lao spiritual ceremony, expressing gratitude to ancestors, heaven and earth, and praying for a peaceful new year.
Next is the wrist-tying ceremony. Each thread represents a good wish, expressing the connection, solidarity and love among community members. The water-asking ceremony symbolizes the sincerity of praying for favorable weather and the consensus and solidarity of the community in Na Sang.
In addition, the ceremony also includes a ritual to worship the river god and stream god to start the water-splashing ritual for good luck, which takes place in an exciting and jubilant manner with the enthusiastic response of a large number of people and tourists participating in the festival.
Mr. Lo Van Keo, a Lao ethnic in Na Sang 1 village (Nua Ngam commune) said that according to Lao beliefs, the more water splashed, the more luck it will bring, dispelling the bad luck of the old year and welcoming a new year of peace and happiness. Water splashing festival shows customs, beliefs, respect and gratitude to the founders of the village, gods and ancestors.
The festival is also an occasion for families to gather together after a hard working period, strengthening solidarity and mutual support among members of the ethnic community. Local people and tourists interact with each other, performing folk games, traditional dances and splashing water for good luck.
Experiencing the Laotian Water Festival for the first time, Ms. Nguyen Lan Anh, from Thanh Hung commune (Dien Bien district) felt very impressed with the festival atmosphere here.
Everyone was excited, friendly and joined in the Lam-Vong dance, traditional folk games and especially the special water splashing. This is a very unique festival, full of identity and spreading the spirit of solidarity and love.
In 2025, Bun Huot Nam Water Festival in Na Sang will take place for 2 days (April 12-13). In addition to the ceremony, Water Festival also has exciting and unique activities such as: Traditional folk games; displaying and promoting cultural tourism products, handicrafts, ethnic cuisine, local agricultural products, OCOP; exploring the space displaying items associated with the cultural life and community activities of the Lao people.
Besides, there is an art exchange program with special performances, imbued with Lao ethnic culture with the participation of mass art teams from villages and hamlets in Nua Ngam commune, communes in Dien Bien district where Lao ethnic people reside.
Vice Chairman of Dien Bien District People's Committee Nong Quang Thang said that Bun Huot Nam Water Festival is an occasion to honor, preserve and spread the good traditional cultural values of the nation.
Up to now, the Water Splashing Festival has gone beyond the framework of a national festival, becoming an attractive cultural and tourist destination in Dien Bien. The event not only attracts local people but also welcomes a large number of domestic and foreign tourists, contributing to promoting the image of the people and land of Dien Bien with its rich cultural identity of ethnic groups.
In the coming time, the district will continue to coordinate with all levels, sectors and people to maintain and improve the quality of festival organization, associated with community tourism development, in order to both preserve heritage and create momentum for sustainable socio-economic development for the locality.
The Lao ethnic group is one of 19 ethnic communities living in Dien Bien province with many unique cultural features, including the Water Festival.
In 2017, the Bun Huot Nam Festival - Water Splashing Festival of the Lao people in Nua Ngam commune, Dien Bien district was included in the list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism./.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/dien-bien-tung-bung-tet-te-nuoc-cua-dan-toc-lao-o-ban-na-sang-post1027466.vnp
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