The Ha Nhi people in A Lu preserve their ethnic identity.

When mentioning the Ha Nhi community in the highland communes of the old Bat Xat district, many people often think of Y Ty or Nam Pung. However, the borderland of A Lu is also a long-standing home of the Ha Nhi people. It is worth mentioning that after hundreds of years of settling here, the Ha Nhi people still fully preserve their ethnic cultural identity, from the typical earthen houses to the customs, practices and rituals, creating a strong bond within the community.

On the last day of the year, when peach blossoms bloomed in the dry and cold highland sun, I had the opportunity to visit A ​​Lu 1 and A Lu 2 villages, belonging to the old A Lu commune (now Y Ty commune). On this occasion, Ha Nhi families here were bustling to celebrate Ga Tho Tho festival, also known as early Tet, winter Tet. According to Ha Nhi customs, Ga Tho Tho festival is the biggest traditional festival of the year, an occasion for families to offer to the ancestral altar the products they have produced in a year to report and thank their ancestors and gods, praying for a peaceful, prosperous and happy life.

A Lu 1 village still has earthen houses built more than 50 years ago.

Because Ga Tho Tho festival is the biggest festival of the year, almost every family prepares to slaughter pigs, chickens and set up sumptuous and cozy feasts to invite neighbors and friends to join in the fun. Ha Nhi women wear green costumes with traditional brocade patterns, headdresses and characteristic wigs. Children are excited in their new clothes, are rewarded with sticky rice cakes and participate in folk games. The atmosphere in the village becomes bustling, excited, full of joy and unique cultural colors.

Visiting A Lu 1 and A Lu 2 villages, I was surprised that the Ha Nhi people here still maintain the traditional earthen houses of the nation. Mr. Sao Ha Gio - Head of A Lu 1 village shared: A Lu 1 and A Lu 2 villages currently have 110 households, most of whom are Ha Nhi people. Due to long-standing customs, the ancestors of the Ha Nhi people often lived in places with harsh climates, with fog and ice in the winter, so hundreds of years ago, they built houses with earthen walls to resist the cold of winter and keep cool in the summer. Currently, in the 2 villages of the Ha Nhi people, more than 90% of households still maintain the traditional earthen house architecture. Among them, there are houses built from 50 to 70 years ago.

Ha Nhi women in A Lu keep the brocade embroidery profession.

I expressed my concern about why in many villages and hamlets of the highland ethnic minorities, earthen houses have been demolished to build modern houses, while the Ha Nhi people here still maintain the traditional earthen houses? And Mr. Gio explained that in the past, the village has regularly promoted the need to preserve the ethnic cultural identity and maintain the traditional houses. Currently, many earthen houses built long ago are old and cramped, to meet the needs of new life, some households in the village have built brick houses, but still built according to the square house architecture of the Ha Nhi people. Although building new houses to live in, the villagers still keep the old earthen house as a place to worship ancestors and gods. This method both provides housing for the people and preserves the ethnic identity.

Peaceful life in A Lu 1 village.

In the highland village of A Lu, I met Ha Nhi women sitting together, basking in the sun, chatting, and teaching each other how to embroider brocade patterns. Mrs. Phan Mo Go, 52 years old, said that as a Ha Nhi woman, one must know how to sew and embroider brocade to make clothes for the family. Nowadays, many patterns on Ha Nhi costumes can be woven by machine, but some delicate details still have to be embroidered by hand, typically the headscarf (O pho pa kho) and the leg-wrapping (kho bo). To preserve the traditional brocade embroidery craft, the village elders have taught the younger generation the technique of embroidery that is both fast and beautiful.

Ha Nhi women play the stick jumping game during the ethnic New Year.

Coming to A Lu 1 and A Lu 2 villages on festival days such as Ga Ma O festival, Du Do Do festival (held in January), Kho Gia Gia festival (held in June of the lunar calendar), visitors will be immersed in the joyful atmosphere of the festival. In the bustling music, the folk art troupe of A Lu 1 and A Lu 2 villages, consisting of beautiful and skillful Ha Nhi boys and girls, will perform soft and graceful dances simulating the working scenes of the people, such as: planting corn, harvesting rice on terraced fields, pounding rice cakes, fetching water at the beginning of the new year... Along with that, folk games, such as: jumping on sticks, walking on stilts, swinging on ropes, swinging on merry-go-rounds...

It is known that in recent years, the Ha Nhi people here have preserved and restored many folk songs and dances of the nation, not letting them fade away over time.

Propaganda work is focused on contributing to raising awareness of the Ha Nhi ethnic community in preserving national identity.

Mr. Lo A Sinh - Vice Chairman of Y Ty Commune People's Committee, said: A Lu 1 and A Lu 2 villages used to belong to A Lu commune, but have now been merged into Y Ty commune. Although these two villages are far from the commune center, there are still peaceful villages with traditional earthen houses and green bamboo forests all year round. Local people preserve and conserve their national cultural identity, contributing to creating a "string" of solidarity and strong attachment in the community.

Currently, Y Ty commune is interested in developing tourism in a green, sustainable and culturally rich direction. Therefore, the Party Committee and the commune government always encourage and motivate people to do a good job of protecting the landscape and environment, preserving and promoting the cultural beauty of the nation, associated with the development of community tourism so that A Lu 1 and A Lu 2 will soon become attractive destinations for tourists to visit and experience.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/nguoi-ha-nhi-oa-lu-giu-ban-sac-dan-toc-post888221.html