Thach That focuses on preserving and promoting Muong ethnic culture

On occasions of commune and district festivals, or important village and hamlet festivals, the clubs organize gong performances, singing and dancing, helping to spread Muong ethnic culture to the people and tourists.

Gong performance of Muong people in Tien Xuan commune (Thach That district).

Indispensable cultural and artistic activities

Vice Chairwoman of Thach That District People's Committee Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc said that the artisans participating in gong clubs in the three mountainous communes of the district are often old, talented and passionate about Muong ethnic culture. Each gong club has 12 people, each person is in charge of a gong, if there is a 13th person, that person will be in charge of the small gong (call gong). The basic gong pieces are "Sac bua", "Bong trang bong vang", "Di duong"...

Gong performance is an indispensable cultural and artistic activity in the spiritual life of people in mountainous areas, actively contributing to building cultural life and promoting the implementation of socio -economic development tasks in the area.

Every year, Thach That district organizes a festival of singing and dancing, gong performances and a competition of ethnic sports in the mountainous region. This activity aims to create conditions for actors and people to exchange and learn, strengthen national solidarity, raise awareness of all levels, sectors, officials and people about the responsibility of preserving and promoting the cultural identity of the Muong ethnic group. The quality gong performances have contributed to introducing and promoting the traditional culture of ethnic groups in the district.

Meritorious Artist Bui Thi Bich Thin - Head of the Tien Xuan Commune Gong and Folk Dance Club shared: The commune's club was established in 2014 with 25 members. However, since 2008, each village has established its own gong team, with a total of 84 members. In addition to the teams contributing money to buy gong sets for performances, Thach That district also provided 17 gong sets for the villages of Tien Xuan commune and opened many training classes, instructing members of the teams on how to play gongs. As for the Muong ethnic costumes used during performances, including skirts, shirts, scarves, necklaces, bracelets, and sashes, the members of the village's gong team and the commune's club spent their own money (about 1 - 3 million VND) to equip themselves.

“The establishment of Muong gong clubs and teams aims to maintain regular collective performance activities and transmit the art of gong performance to the next generation. That way, the art of Muong gong performance will not be forgotten,” said Ms. Bui Thi Bich Thin.

In Yen Binh commune, up to now, all 10 villages of the commune have gong teams and a total of 13 sets of Muong gongs. The villages regularly practice, exchange with each other and learn from other communes and districts about the art of playing gongs, singing and dancing.

Chairwoman of the Women's Union of Yen Binh Commune, Bui Thi Kim, shared: Muong ethnic culture has been restored and maintained by the people in the commune through activities such as costume performances, cuisine , gong festivals, etc. Thanks to that, the material and spiritual life of the people has been improved.

Efforts to preserve and promote

Gong performance is an important cultural and artistic form in the community life of the Muong ethnic group from birth to the time they return to their motherland. Therefore, the Muong people consider gongs as treasures in their homes, as symbols of the nation, of great value and preserved through generations. Muong gong culture and the gong cultural space of the Muong ethnic group originate from a long-standing cultural and historical tradition, affirmed in the process of labor and artistic creation, inherited through many generations, spreading, deeply rooted in all aspects of life of the Muong ethnic group.

Before the expansion of Hanoi's administrative boundaries (August 1, 2008), gong performances by the Muong ethnic group in the three communes of Tien Xuan, Yen Trung, and Yen Binh had been quiet and obscured. However, since 2008, Muong gong performances have been restarted and gradually restored and developed.

Vice Chairwoman of Thach That District People's Committee Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc said: The traditional culture of the Muong ethnic group has its own unique identity, containing a lifestyle rich in humanity and traditional ethics, reflecting the process of labor and creativity that has been continuously promoted and developed, and is the pride of many generations of Muong people.

In recent years, the preservation, restoration and promotion of traditional cultural values of ethnic minorities in Thach That district have been carried out actively and promptly, creating consensus and enthusiastic participation of Muong ethnic people in 3 mountainous communes. Bad customs have been eliminated, cultural, artistic and sports movements have increasingly developed, and the level of cultural enjoyment of mountainous people has been raised.

Thach That district also closely directed the People's Committees of Tien Xuan, Yen Trung and Yen Binh communes to effectively guide and propagate cadres and people in the area to actively participate in the work of preserving, restoring and promoting the typical cultural values of the Muong ethnic group. Awareness, solidarity and national pride among the people were enhanced, village elders, village chiefs and prestigious people in the community actively participated in activities of preserving, restoring and promoting the cultural values of the Muong ethnic group, promoting the transmission of traditional cultural values in the community...

Chairman of Yen Binh Commune People's Committee Nguyen Van Tung said that the commune has actively promoted many propaganda measures to socialize investment resources of organizations, businesses, individuals and households participating in activities to preserve, restore, promote and advertise the cultural values of the Muong ethnic group in the area.

According to Meritorious Artisan Bui Thi Bich Thin (Tien Xuan Commune), the age of the members of the commune club and village gong team ranges from 18 to over 60 years old. Although many members are very active, after going to school or work they will arrange time to practice with the gong team, but the reality shows that the number of young gong players only accounts for 30%. Therefore, teaching Muong gong playing to the younger generation is very important.

With a deep love for Muong ethnic culture, every year, artisan Bui Thi Bich Thin teaches the art of playing Muong gongs to dozens of groups and gong teams of villages in the district and the communes of Van Hoa and Yen Bai - Ba Vi district. In addition, for the Muong ethnic group, in addition to the intangible cultural heritage of gongs, there are also singing melodies, especially the very unique way of speaking "thuong dang bo meng".

According to artist Bich Thin, these melodies are closely associated with Muong gong performances and with the daily cultural activities of the Muong people, because "there are vi singing, there are gongs, there are gongs, there are vi singing". However, these melodies are at risk of fading away and being lost, and need to be prioritized for protection. Only then will the cultural values of the Muong people be increasingly promoted, helping to improve the spiritual life of the people in the mountainous areas.

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