Spread the performances in the Pon Pong festival

Pon Pong performance in Minh Son commune.

In Muong language, “Pon” means to play, to dance; “Pong” means flower. Pon Pong means to dance with flowers. Pon Pong festival is presided over by Au May women (Mrs. May), prestigious people in the village, who know how to worship, prescribe medicine, dance well, and sing well. Pon Pong festival consists of two parts, the ceremony and the festival. In the ceremony, Au May reports to the gods that this year has a good harvest, every family is well-fed, the villagers hold a festival to thank the heavens and invite the ancestors and the king to come and play with their children and grandchildren. In the festival, the performances revolve around the cotton tree - the central object in the festival, a symbol of the vast universe. On the 3m high bamboo cotton tree, there are 5 or 7 layers of flower clusters dyed green, red, purple, yellow and models of animals, agricultural tools, and creative achievements of humans. The art form of Pon Poong has 48 unique performances, in which Mrs. May is the main character, along with other roles such as Mr. Po, Miss Quac, Miss Choong Loong, King Ut, King A, King Ca, King Hai... The performances in the Pon Poong festival have recreated the cultural life of the Muong people since the early days of building houses, clearing fields, growing rice, weaving brocade, hunting wild animals, cockfighting, buffalo fighting, fishing, dancing, drinking rice wine...

In 2016, the Pon Pong festival was recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage. To preserve and promote the value of the performances in the Pon Pong festival, every year Minh Son commune has developed and implemented a plan to preserve and promote the national cultural identity in general and the Pon Pong festival in particular. At the same time, it directs mass organizations and coordinates with villages to promote propaganda and education on the good values of this festival. Encourage villages to organize cultural exchange competitions, and include performances in the Pon Pong festival in competitions to contribute to preserving, promoting and promoting the value of the heritage.

In Lo village, although the people's lives are still difficult, people are always conscious of preserving and promoting traditional values. To achieve this result, Lo village has directed the farmer's association, women's association, youth union... to actively propagate and mobilize union members to participate in practicing the performances in the Pon Pong festival. On holidays, New Year's and festivals, Lo village organizes cultural and artistic activities, including performances of this festival. Thanks to that, the performances have a strong influence, becoming an indispensable "spiritual food" in people's lives.

Ms. Pham Thi Tang, Minh Son commune - Meritorious Artisan with many contributions to the restoration and preservation of the Pon Pong festival, said: "Although I am old and weak, I realize my responsibility in preserving and promoting the Muong cultural identity, so I actively teach the younger generation the performances in the Pon Pong festival. Through the practice sessions, everyone understands the meaning of the performances and actively participates in the practice. This is the next generation that will replace us in preserving and promoting the games and performances in the Pon Pong festival."

Currently, Minh Son commune has 40 active art troupes. In addition to practicing songs to serve the cultural and artistic activities of the commune and village, the art troupes also invite artists to teach the performances of the Pon Pong festival to the team members. Therefore, the number of people who know how to practice the performances of this festival in Minh Son commune is increasing. Currently, every time the commune has a mass art competition, the art troupes of the villages always pay attention to practicing some performances of the Pon Pong festival to participate.

Ms. Le Thi Thuy, Vice Chairwoman of Minh Son Commune People's Committee, said: Pon Pong Festival is an important festival of the Muong ethnic group in Minh Son Commune. To preserve and promote the values of this festival, the commune continues to promote propaganda to the people about the significance of the festival to the spiritual life of the people. Regularly organize exchanges, competitions, and create playgrounds for art troupes of villages to have the opportunity to perform games and performances in the Pon Pong Festival to honor the identity of the Muong ethnic group.

Comment (0)