Preserving the cultural colors of ethnic groups

In the journey towards the goal of fast, green and sustainable development, Thai Nguyen always puts the task of preserving the cultural colors of ethnic minorities in a central position. In the photo: Then singing and Tinh lute performance on Ba Be Lake.

Cultural preservation from community awareness

Currently, Thai Nguyen has 39 ethnic groups living together in 92 communes and wards with nearly 1.8 million people. Through many generations of cohabitation, the people have together created a rich and diverse "cultural flower garden".

Among them, there are many unique values such as the brocade of the Dao people with hand-woven motifs through many generations; the Soong Co singing of the San Diu people, the rustic yet profound love songs; the Then singing and Tinh lute of the Tay people recognized as representative heritage of humanity; the graceful Khen dance of the Mong people; or the five-color feast of the Nung people symbolizing the harmonious philosophy of yin and yang.

In the communal environment, each ethnic group is conscious of passing on the quintessence to the younger generation as if preserving the cultural breath of their community. The unique cultural colors of each ethnic group when blended together have created a unified cultural appearance in the diversity of Thai Nguyen.

Brocade weaving - one of the quintessential cultural identities of ethnic minorities in the highlands.

However, with the increasing pace of urbanization and industrialization, many values that were once considered sustainable are at risk of being lost. Many young people no longer know how to speak their own language; many young women are afraid to hold needles to embroider brocade patterns; young men are confused when wearing traditional costumes; many families even sell their stilt houses, a clear symbol of ethnic architecture, to build modern houses.

There was a time when the authorities had to warn about the “bleeding of stilt houses”, about the risk of losing cultural identity if there were no timely solutions to preserve it. Because once the transmission line is broken, it is very difficult to restore the culture intact.

Therefore, cultural preservation is not only the task of the cultural sector or of dedicated artisans, but must become the responsibility of the whole community. The cultural identity of each nation can only last and spread when each person, each family, clan and community join hands to preserve, nurture and continue.

Efforts to collect, restore and teach heritage

In order to prevent the cultural beauty of ethnic minorities from fading in modern society, over the past years, Thai Nguyen province has persistently implemented major policies of the Party and State on building, preserving and promoting the cultural identity of ethnic minorities.

"Passing on" Then singing to the young generation.

Along with thematic resolutions, Project 6 under the National Target Program on Socio -Economic Development for Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas has become an important foundation to help the province promote heritage collection, restoration and teaching activities.

Many beautiful rituals and customs have been restored systematically. In recent years, we can mention the traditional wedding ceremony of the Tay ethnic group in Lam Vy commune; the harvest praying ceremony of the San Diu people in Vo Tranh commune; the coming of age ceremony of the Nung Phan Sinh ethnic group in Nam Hoa commune (a ceremony marking the maturity of Nung ethnic men). Cultural restoration programs have encouraged artisans to be more active in passing on intangible cultural heritage to the younger generation.

Many typical festivals have also been restored, creating outstanding cultural highlights for the locality, typically: Long Tong Na Lien Ma Festival - where people entrust their wishes for a bountiful harvest; Mu La Festival with traditional agricultural rituals; Xuan Duong love market - a humane space for lovemaking of ethnic minorities.

Through these cultural events, the community has more opportunities to meet, exchange, share, and at the same time introduce to friends and tourists the unique values of their nation.

Currently, the whole province has 336 festivals, 709 intangible cultural heritages, of which “Then practice of Tay, Nung, Thai ethnic groups” has been recognized by UNESCO as a representative heritage of humanity. The province has 3 artisans awarded the title of People's Artisan and 19 excellent artisans.

They are the “living treasures” who day and night preserve each melody and each ritual like farmers preserve seeds for the next season. Thanks to their quiet but persistent dedication, many traditional cultural values are still distilled, passed on and spread.

Panpipe dance - a unique cultural feature of the Mong ethnic group.

In recent years, Thai Nguyen has advocated linking cultural preservation with community tourism development. This is considered a flexible and sustainable direction, because culture can only truly live when it can nurture the livelihoods of its people. Notably, many localities have built tourism products associated with craft villages, cuisine and folk art performances, thereby creating more space for culture to enter modern life in a natural and sustainable way.

Many community tourism models have become bright spots such as: Thai Hai eco-tourism stilt house village in Tan Cuong commune; Phieng Phang and Phieng An villages; Ban Quyen village in Phu Dinh commune. At these destinations, visitors can immerse themselves in traditional cultural spaces, listen to Then singing, Tinh lute; watch brocade weaving; experience indigo dyeing; enjoy bamboo-tube rice, banana flower salad, and smoked meat hung from the kitchen.

From the practical values that culture brings, many ethnic children have consciously learned to speak and sing in their mother tongue; practiced using traditional musical instruments; participated in performances and guided tourists. The new lifestyle formed from community tourism is becoming the driving force for the ethnic people's traditional culture to have an increasingly strong vitality and maintain a worthy position in contemporary life.

Long Tong planting competition at ATK Dinh Hoa Festival.

The endogenous vitality of a land

The endogenous vitality of a land originates from cultural values that have been preserved and cultivated over many generations. From lifestyle, customs, songs, to traditional occupations, all blend into a unique identity, creating a lasting spiritual strength from the roots, helping ethnic communities develop harmoniously and steadfastly in the face of all changes.

With a full awareness of the value of culture in social life, ethnic minorities in Thai Nguyen province have become more conscious and responsible in preserving, conserving and promoting values. Many folk clubs have been established and operate regularly.

Village and hamlet cultural houses have become meeting places for young people to learn singing, dancing, brocade weaving, indigo dyeing, and traditional weaving taught by artisans. Community activity nights with the resounding sounds of Vi (vi), Luong (luong) and Then (then) songs on the porch of the stilt house have returned like the warmth of human affection. This is a vivid proof of the everlasting vitality of culture when there is the attention of the Party, the State, and the consensus of ethnic people.

While receiving the beauty of traditional culture through direct transmission from artisans, many young people in ethnic minorities know how to use technology devices to support singing, music, and listening to epics about the history of their people. Seeing the young generation adapt quickly to technology, the elderly still remind their children and grandchildren to know how to filter and go in the right direction so that cultural identity is not mixed or simplified when brought to the digital environment.

The custom of fetching water in early spring, a beautiful cultural feature of ethnic groups in Thai Nguyen.

In today's life, when the industrial pace of life penetrates into every small village, among the people, artisans still quietly keep the flame of culture alive with very simple things: traditional costumes worn on holidays; a Tinh instrument hung solemnly in the stilt house; needles and colorful threads of the grandmothers and mothers with meticulous brocade embroidery; pots of corn wine with leaf yeast distilled according to the way their ancestors passed down. Those seemingly small things are the thread that extends memories, preserving the "cultural source" of each nation.

The persistence in the awareness of cultural preservation has contributed to the strong development of many traditional values. Especially in daily life, despite being busy and having limited health, many elderly artisans still tirelessly teach the folk songs, folk dances, and beautiful cultural practices of their people to the younger generation.

All the efforts of artisans of ethnic minorities and the attention of local authorities have had a positive impact on the lifestyle and standard behavior of people in the community. Moreover, it is to raise the awareness and responsibility of the young generation for the work of preserving, conserving and promoting the values of ethnic culture in society...

The cultural colors of ethnic groups have become more vibrant and fresh in the modern life. Each ethnic group proudly wears their traditional costumes when welcoming guests to visit the land where they live.

The folk songs are sung more clearly and confidently because each person knows how to love and be proud of their nation's cultural traditions. That is also the foundation for the province to build and develop the economy associated with cultural preservation, while promoting the endogenous strength from traditional values that have been nurtured through many generations, creating a sustainable driving force for the future.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/van-hoa/202512/gin-giu-sac-mau-van-hoa-cac-dan-toc-81a43ec/