Cong people are bustling with joy at the Celosia Festival

The Cong ethnic group is one of five ethnic minority communities with very few people, living in Nam Ke commune, Dien Bien province. Every year, at the end of November and the beginning of December, the Cong ethnic group eagerly celebrates the Chicken Celosia Festival.

This year, the Cong ethnic community chose to hold the Celosia Festival on November 5 and 6, in Nam Ke village, Nam Ke commune, Dien Bien province.

2(4).jpg — Artisan Hu Van Thit performs a ritual of praying to heaven, earth, ancestors, and gods. Photo: Thuy Hong

According to the customs of the Cong people, the cockscomb flower festival is the biggest festival of the year. This is an event that marks the passing of the old year and in the sacred moment of the new year, the Cong people turn to their lineage, ancestors, and forefathers who have always watched over and protected their descendants.

The Cong people in Nam Ke believe that in life there are always gods and ancestors who bless and give strength to each person and bring luck to their descendants and the village.

For the Cong people, celosia is a sacred flower, symbolizing strength, resilience and belief in goodness. This flower is also considered a spiritual bridge between people and their ancestors, between the living and the deceased.

The Celosia Festival usually lasts for two to three days. When the harvest is finished, people will prepare the necessary offerings for the Celosia Festival. The Cong believe that if the Celosia Festival has not been celebrated, no one is allowed to go to the fields, dig cassava, or sing and dance.

On the day of the Celosia Festival, people temporarily put aside their farming work to perform worship rituals together, praying for peace in the village, good crops, and a prosperous life.

The village elder often doubles as a shaman, and the village elder’s house is also where the ceremony takes place. Early in the morning of the ceremony, the head of each family goes to the fields to pick celosia flowers, brings them to the shaman’s house, and together they decorate the flowers from root to tip on a bamboo tree in the middle of the house.

This year's ceremony is presided over by artisan Hu Van Thit, who is trusted by the villagers to offer the ceremony to express gratitude to heaven, earth, ancestors, and gods.

21(1).jpg — Cong people of Nam Ke village join in the fun with traditional songs and dances. Photo: Thuy Hong

The rituals taking place during the Chicken Celosia Festival attract the community to turn to their ancestors and express gratitude to the gods and local deities where people live, while praying for the best things for the village.

After the ceremony, the Cong people in Nam Ke village joined in the fun with traditional songs and dances, sending their wishes for prosperity, happiness, and reunion.

In 2019, the Cong ethnic group's Celosia Festival was included in the list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage. In particular, from the resources of Project 6 under the National Target Program on Socio -Economic Development of Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas, Dien Bien province has annually maintained and organized the festival to preserve and honor the precious cultural heritage of the Cong ethnic group.

Source: https://congluan.vn/dong-bao-cong-ron-rang-vui-tet-hoa-mao-ga-10316850.html