UNIQUE “MIN LOONG PHAT” FESTIVAL – THE CULTURAL BEAUTY OF THE TRIBUNAL PEOPLE IN THE GREAT LAI CHAU FOREST

In the community of 20 ethnic groups in Lai Chau province, the Cong ethnic group has 380 households/1,700 people. The Cong people have two local groups: Cong Vang and Cong Den. The Cong Vang - Xam Khong Su Lu group lives mainly in Nam Khao commune, Muong Te district (now Muong Te commune), Lai Chau province and Nam Ke commune, Dien Bien province. The Cong Den - Xam Khong Na La group lives in Tang Nga village, Nam Cha commune, Nam Nhun district (now Muong Mo commune) and Kan Ho commune, Muong Te district (now Bum To commune).

The Cong people in Tang Nga village have 104 households and more than 500 people. Living for a long time in Lai Chau land, the Cong ethnic group has formed and preserved a rich and unique culture, in which the "Min Loong Phat" Festival - the Celosia Festival is the biggest traditional festival of the year, vividly reflecting the cultural identity of the Cong people in Muong Mo commune of Lai Chau province, taking place after the harvest season to thank their ancestors and pray for a new year of favorable weather and wind.

The festival has deep spiritual and community values, and is an occasion for the Cong people to express their gratitude to the gods and ancestors for giving them a bountiful harvest. The celosia flower – a flower considered sacred by the Cong people – becomes the main symbol of the festival, symbolizing the protection of crops and warding off disasters.

Preparing for the festival, villagers go to the fields to get cockscomb flowers to worship.

The festival atmosphere has been bustling for many days before, when families are busy preparing firewood, bamboo shoots, stream fish, squash, ginger, flowers... The highlight of the festival is the ancestor worship ceremony at home presided over by the homeowner, with a rich offering tray of mountain and forest products.

Offering tray to ancestors

Celosia flowers decorated by locals as an offering to their ancestors

Coming to the Min Loong Phat Festival, visitors not only admire the pristine cultural beauty of the Cong people, but also have the opportunity to deeply experience the community life in the border area. Simple and sacred images such as the homeowner throwing a handful of rice to the sky to pray for favorable weather, or the whole village gathering together to dance and sing, create unforgettable emotions for anyone who has ever visited.

The ancestral worship ceremony is performed by the homeowner. Family members must be present and sit behind the celebrant.

The homeowner holds handfuls of rice and throws them up high to thank their ancestors and gods for giving them a bountiful and abundant harvest.

After the ceremony, the villagers join together in the sound of drums and gongs, xoè dance, love songs and folk games such as tug of war, stick pushing, crossbow shooting...

Villagers and homeowners dance and sing to celebrate the "Min Loong Phat" Festival - the cockscomb flower festival.

The “Min Loong Phat” festival - the cockscomb flower festival is not only an occasion for the Cong ethnic people to express their respect to their ancestors and pay tribute to the gods, but also a precious opportunity for tourists to immerse themselves in the unique traditional cultural space of one of the smallest ethnic groups in Vietnam. With the brilliant colors of cockscomb flowers, the echoes of gongs and drums, the vibrant xoè dances and the traditional games imbued with identity... the festival has become a “spiritual specialty” rich in humanistic values, contributing to enriching the cultural treasure of Lai Chau.

The restoration and organization of the “Min Loong Phat” Festival not only aims to preserve the intangible cultural heritage of the Cong ethnic group, but also opens a sustainable direction in developing community cultural tourism . This is one of the unique highlights that helps Lai Chau become an attractive destination for domestic and foreign tourists - where every step you take will not only feel the majestic beauty of the mountains and forests, but also live in the atmosphere of folk festivals, listening to the heartbeat of the souls of ethnic minorities in the border areas of the Fatherland.

Ngoc Huyen - Provincial Museum

Source: https://svhttdl.laichau.gov.vn/van-hoa-gia-dinh/phong-tuc-tap-quan-le-hoi/doc-dao-le-hoi-min-loong-phat-ve-dep-van-hoa-nguoi-cong-giua-dai-ngan-lai-chau2.html