Folk Festival in Ba Che: Rich in ethnic cultural identity

Spring has come, ethnic groups in Ba Che district welcome the new spring in a joyful and exciting atmosphere with many unique traditional festivals. The spring festivals imbued with the cultural identity of ethnic groups take place in the joy of celebrating the glorious Party, celebrating the country's innovation, integration, and breakthrough in the era of national development.

The ritual of digging holes and sowing seeds at the Lang Da communal house festival opens a new year of production, expressing the wish for a bountiful harvest.

Every year, in Ba Che district, many festivals of different sizes take place, such as: Lang Da Communal House Festival, Ong Temple - Ba Temple Festival, Ban Vuong Festival, San Chay Ethnic Cultural Festival, Dong Chuc Communal House Festival and Xuong Dong Festival. In which, Lang Da Communal House Festival is organized by Thanh Lam commune, taking place on the 9th and 10th of January. The festival has activities such as: God procession, incense offering ceremony for the village tutelary god; digging hole and seed planting rituals and cultural, artistic, sports , folk games and culinary activities.

Or the Dong Chuc Communal House Festival and the Long Tong Festival (going to the fields) hosted by Luong Mong Commune, take place from January 20 to 22, with activities such as: God procession, incense offering ceremony, going to the fields ceremony and cultural activities, arts, sports, folk games and culinary activities.

The Ong Temple - Ba Temple Festival, hosted by Nam Son Commune, takes place on the 1st day of the 3rd lunar month, with a bathing ceremony, a procession of the Tam Tri god, incense offering by people and visitors from all directions, cultural activities, arts, sports, rowing, and folk games. The Ong Temple and Ba Temple form a complex of relics that demonstrate harmonious folk worship. The festival creates motivation for people of all ethnic groups in the district to compete in labor, production, study, work, and strive to build Ba Che district to become increasingly rich, beautiful, and civilized.

After the spring festivals in Ba Che district, there is also the San Chay Ethnic Cultural Festival hosted by Thanh Son commune on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month associated with the Doan Ngo Festival, the Tay Ethnic Cultural Festival hosted by Dap Thanh commune in the 9th lunar month associated with the Tay people's New Rice Ceremony, and the Ban Vuong Festival hosted by Nam Son and Don Dac communes on the 1st day of the 10th lunar month.

For festivals held at the district level, including Ban Vuong Festival and Golden Tea Festival, Ba Che district decided to organize them periodically twice every 5 years in conjunction with major local events. For the Ong Temple Festival - Ba Temple Festival (Nam Son commune), Lang Da Communal House Festival (Thanh Lam commune), Dong Chuc Communal House Festival, Xuong Dong Festival (Luong Mong commune), San Chay Ethnic Cultural Festival (Thanh Son commune) and Tay Ethnic Cultural Festival (Dap Thanh commune) will be held once at the district level every 5 years, depending on time conditions, the remaining years will be held at the commune level.

Reenacting the sea journey of the Dao ancestors in Ba Che district at the Ban Vuong festival in 2022. — Reenacting the sea journey of the Dao ancestors of Ba Che district in the Ban Vuong Festival.

For the Dao Thanh Phan community in the mountainous district of Ba Che, spring has many important rituals, such as: the Ban Vuong incense offering ceremony at the beginning of the year, the Cap Sac ceremony (the naming ceremony) officially recognizing a man as a descendant of Ban Vuong - the ancestor of the Dao people, the opening ceremony, the lamp offering ceremony, the Thuong Quang ceremony, the handing over of the seal ceremony, the Cap Binh ceremony and the marriage ceremony. The birth and existence of these rituals are closely linked to the formation and development of the Dao ethnic group, demonstrating the cultural characteristics of the ethnic group, contributing to strengthening solidarity and maintaining theeducational tradition in the Dao Thanh Phan community.

All festivals aim to pray for favorable weather, good crops, peace, prosperity and happiness for all people. At the same time, people and tourists attending the festival can visit the exhibition area of the rituals of coming to the title, costumes, tools, and production labor at the cultural activities of ethnic communities, thereby educating the tradition of gratitude to ancestors, connecting the community, honoring the national cultural identity, preserving, maintaining and promoting the beauty of traditional culture of the nation.

Although not a festival, the cultural fairs in the highlands in Luong Minh and Don Dac communes all have the nature of festivals, where the cultural identities of ethnic groups converge. At the beginning of the year, the cultural fairs in the highlands all take place in a bustling and exciting atmosphere. The fairs are also a unique cultural meeting place, where people and tourists can enjoy special performances of art, folk songs, and folk dances, participate in folk games and sports, enjoy ethnic cuisine and watch ethnic costumes.

Not only playing an economic role, the highland cultural fair is also a symbol of solidarity and aspiration to rise up, where traditional values are preserved and confidently integrated with the ethnic community of Quang Ninh.

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