Receiving National Intangible Cultural Heritage Muong Kho Festival

Photo caption — Nearly 300 Muong girls wearing traditional costumes carrying nearly 300 gongs walked, played, sang and danced.

Authorized by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Vice Chairman of Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee Dau Thanh Tung presented the Certificate of recognition of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List of Muong Kho Festival to the leaders of Ba Thuoc district and Dien Trung commune.

Muong Kho land is the residence of the Ha Cong family, one of the prestigious families of the Muong people. During the reign of King Gia Long and King Minh Mang, Mr. Ha Cong Thai had the merit of fighting the enemy in Hung Hoa town and suppressing the bandits in the Vietnam - Laos border area, especially helping the Nguyen Dynasty unify the country. Mr. Ha Cong Thai was awarded the title of District Duke by the court, with the right to govern from Eo Le slope, Mau market, Bai market, Muong Ne to the source of Ma river.

As a tradition, every year on the 10th of January, the people of Muong Do village, Dien Trung commune and neighboring areas of Ba Thuoc district organize the Muong Kho Festival to pay tribute to Duke Ha Cong Thai and the generals of the Ha family who had contributed to quelling the rebellion in the western border area of Thanh province.

Muong Kho festival was initially just a family worship, a clan, later became a big festival of the whole region, showing the beauty in the emotional and spiritual life of the Muong ethnic people in the highlands of Thanh. Today, Muong Kho is divided into 4 communes: Dien Trung, Dien Lu, Dien Quang, Dien Ha of Ba Thuoc district. Muong Kho land still preserves many unique traditional cultural values of the Muong ethnic group, spiritual festivals, games, folk performances of gong instruments...

The Muong Kho Festival in 2024 has great significance for the spiritual life of the people of Dien Trung commune in particular and the people of Ba Thuoc district in general. The fact that the Muong Kho Festival was included in the list of national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism demonstrates the attention of the Party and State on preserving and promoting the value of national cultural heritage.

Coming to the Muong Kho Festival 2024, visitors can immerse themselves in the bustling atmosphere of the highland market, enjoy typical dishes of the Muong ethnic group such as: rice wine, bamboo rice, bitter soup..., special games and performances such as throwing con, playing mang, cockfighting, swinging, and gong playing.

In particular, within the framework of the Festival, there is a performance of the Che Bua and a concert of 460 gongs. Muong girls in traditional costumes carry 460 gongs and cymbals, perform, sing and dance, creating a large-scale choir performance, imbued with national identity, attracting many viewers. The sound of gongs echoing in the mountains and forests is one of the indispensable things in the Muong Kho festival, demonstrating the strength and aspiration of the Muong people.

Muong Kho Festival 2024 takes place over 2 days (February 18-19).

TH (according to Tin Tuc newspaper)

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