Nho Quan focuses on preserving cultural heritage in new rural construction

Recently, at the Cultural House of Bai Ca village, Cuc Phuong commune, Nho Quan district, a restoration of the Mo Muong ritual was organized - this is the pride and sacred heritage of the Muong people.

Mr. Mo Dinh Van Tan, Bai Ca village said: Mo is a sacred ritual song to send the soul of the dead back to their ancestors and the eternal world. Mo is a means for the living and the dead to communicate with each other and understand each other better. Listening to Mo is for the living to reflect on themselves, to live better, to try to do many good deeds. Muong Mo includes the epic Mo of giving birth to the earth, giving birth to the water (Mo tells stories), Mo going to heaven (Mo leads the way)...

Nho Quan focuses on preserving cultural heritage in new rural construction — Mo Muong ritual is restored at the Cultural House of Bai Ca village, Cuc Phuong commune.

Mo songs are long stories, needing someone who understands the life and culture of the Muong people, and a touching and attractive voice to create meaning for the Mo songs. Currently, I am teaching the Muong love singing club in Cuc Phuong commune to preserve the unique cultural beauty of the Muong people.

Cuc Phuong commune has nearly 100% of the population being Muong ethnic people. In recent years, due to cultural exchange and change in the integration process, many cultural heritages of the Muong people have been lost, including traditional rituals.

Comrade Dinh Van Xuan, Chairman of the People's Committee of Cuc Phuong commune, said: In Cuc Phuong commune, there are currently many activities contributing to preserving the Muong cultural identity, such as building residential art teams, establishing gong teams; propagating and mobilizing people to build traditional stilt houses; continuing to mobilize people to actively participate in cultural preservation activities, especially Project 6 - National target program on socio -economic development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas to contribute to both restoring and preserving the cultural identity of the Muong ethnic group.

During the process of construction and development, with a long history and cultural tradition, Nho Quan district has been preserving many diverse and rich cultural values, with 317 inventoried relics, of which 65 relics are ranked at all levels (11 national relics, 54 provincial relics); 110 intangible cultural heritages, including: 44 traditional festivals, 19 heritages of folk performing arts, 17 social customs and beliefs, 16 heritages of folk knowledge, 7 heritages of folk literature, 5 traditional crafts, 2 heritages of languages of ethnic minorities. This is an important foundation, a development resource of the district in the process of building new rural areas, aiming to develop new institutions in a modern rural society rich in identity.

Implementing the National Target Program on New Rural Construction, in addition to economic development, infrastructure construction, and improving people's material life, Nho Quan district always focuses on implementing extensively and synchronously the goal of protecting and promoting the value of traditional cultural heritages, especially the cultural heritage of ethnic minorities, mainly the Muong people, accounting for 17% of the district's population.

All levels and sectors have focused on promoting propaganda and mobilization work to help people understand and preserve their ethnic cultural identity. Conserving national cultural heritage is associated with emulation movements, cultural and artistic movements of each locality and unit; especially the movement "All people unite to build a cultural life" associated with the campaign "All people unite to build new rural areas and civilized urban areas". By the end of 2023, the whole district had 86.1% of households, 97.9% of villages, hamlets, residential groups and 86.6% of agencies, units and enterprises meeting cultural standards.

The work of preserving and promoting the values of historical relics and cultural heritages has always been of interest. The work of restoring and embellishing relics has been carried out with attention, creating consensus and mobilizing many resources in society to participate. The work of preserving, restoring and developing traditional local art forms in building new rural areas has always been of interest, such as: Restoring, preserving and developing the art of Cheo singing in Son Lai, Gia Thuy, Dong Phong, Van Phu, Son Thanh communes; singing Chau Van at Phu Doi Ngang Palace, Co Doi Temple, and Phu Quen Thach Palace; bringing folk games and traditional cultural and artistic forms into teaching at schools...

The work of preserving folk songs and dances of the Muong ethnic group has been carried out in the cultural life at the grassroots level. The Muong ethnic group has brought the sound of gongs and cymbals back into community cultural activities; over 80% of Muong ethnic people use traditional costumes when participating in community activities; 90% of Muong ethnic households regularly communicate in their ethnic language in daily life, focusing on organizing activities to teach the younger generation. Special dishes with strong identities of the mountainous region, such as ant egg sticky rice, goat meat, Muong pork, mountain snails, rice wine, leaf-fermented wine... have been restored to serve visitors at tourist areas and spots.

Up to now, the whole district has 26/26 communes completing criterion No. 6 on new rural cultural facilities, 286/286 villages have places for cultural activities, entertainment, and sports practice that meet the prescribed standards, ensuring adequate conditions to serve cultural, artistic, physical and sports activities of local people.

In particular, the district pays attention to preserving and restoring the cultural living space of the Muong ethnic group, investing in building new ones, repairing stilt houses, village and hamlet cultural houses to serve as places for community cultural activities. Pays attention to maintaining the organization of the Cultural and Sports Festival of ethnic groups in Nho Quan district; implements Project 6 on "Preserving and promoting the fine traditional cultural values of ethnic minorities associated with tourism development"...

With synchronous orientations and solutions, Nho Quan has mobilized investment resources for the construction of new rural areas in general and the preservation of cultural heritage in particular. In 2022, Nho Quan district was recognized as a new rural district, reaching the target 2 years ahead of the target set by the Resolution of the 27th District Party Congress, term 2020-2025.

Article and photos: Phuong Anh

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