Bahnar people turn to their ancestors on Hung Kings' death anniversary

In Piơm village (Đắk Đoa town, Đắk Đoa district, Gia Lai), village elder A Lik, 68 years old, still remembers and tells his children and grandchildren that, according to ancient khan songs, the Bahnar people were born from the love of a brave warrior and a beautiful girl. That story has many similarities with the legend of Lac Long Quan and Âu Cơ giving birth to the Hùng kings. According to the elder, today the Bahnar people not only unite together to produce, help each other to do well economically , but also make efforts to restore traditional cultural values ​​that are gradually fading away such as gongs, brocade weaving, and basketry...

Throughout the villages in Gia Lai, gongs are preserved as a way to preserve the fine traditions of their people.

"According to the tradition left by our ancestors, the Bahnar people have known how to unite and help each other in life and always remember their ancestors. As a village elder, I coordinate with the local government and village elders to tell the people to restore, preserve and promote the traditional values ​​of our people; teach children and grandchildren traditional crafts, brocade weaving, whoever is good at it can sell it; the state has supported the purchase of gongs, so we must always maintain gongs. The Bahnar people will always try to preserve the good traditional culture."

Even young Bahnar like Ms. M. Le in Wau village, Chu A commune, Pleiku city, also have special feelings for this great holiday. For her, Hung King's death anniversary is not only a national holiday of the Vietnamese people, but also an occasion for Bahnar villages to remind each other of the close bond between ethnic groups, and to join hands to build the locality to become more and more prosperous:

"All brothers and sisters in Vietnam, living under one roof, remember the Hung King's death anniversary. In Gia Lai, ethnic brothers and sisters live together, unite and help each other in economic development, are given the opportunity to study properly, and are all taken care of in terms of health, leaving no one behind. Focus on building new rural areas, creating conditions for the lives of ethnic minorities to develop more."

The unique culture of the Bahnar and Jarai people in Gia Lai is being sustainably preserved and becoming a tourism product.

Gia Lai province currently has over 40 ethnic groups living together, of which the Bahnar are one of the oldest and most culturally rich communities. In order to promote the fine traditional cultural values ​​of the Bahnar, in recent years, the province has focused on restoring traditional festivals, supporting the development of craft villages, organizing classes to teach gongs and brocade weaving for young people, etc. with the goal of leaving no one behind on the development journey; at the same time, turning traditional culture into a valuable heritage for sustainable development.

Mr. Dinh Ong - Vice Chairman of Dak Doa District People's Committee said that in the same spirit, on the days approaching the Hung King's death anniversary this year, Dak Doa District - where many Bahnar people live in Gia Lai province - is also preparing to organize many exciting activities. The locality has implemented a series of cultural and sports activities imbued with traditional identity such as rice pounding, weaving, football between villages... to create a united and joyful atmosphere, while promoting cultural images to tourists.

An image from the Culture-Tourism Week organized by Gia Lai province, a way to honor the traditional culture of local people.

"On the occasion of the Hung Kings' death anniversary, the District People's Committee organized a review of the tradition of the Hung Kings' death anniversary and held a commemorative festival, as well as a rice pounding and weaving competition and many other activities. Also on this occasion, the communes organized a football competition, creating an exciting spirit according to the policy of the district and commune authorities. March 10 is also an opportunity for people to participate in activities to review the traditions of their ancestors, create solidarity among ethnic groups, and create strength to continue developing the economy, preserving and promoting the cultural identity of local people."

Hung King's Commemoration Day is truly a sacred festival of the entire Vietnamese people - where millions of hearts turn to their roots, fostering the spirit of solidarity and national pride.

Nguyen Thao/VOV-Central Highlands

Source: https://vov.vn/van-hoa/nguoi-bahnar-huong-ve-to-tien-trong-ngay-gio-to-hung-vuong-post1189800.vov