Every Saturday and Sunday afternoon, in the traditional stilt house, artisan Quàng Văn Cá, To Cuong village, Ang To commune (Muong Ang district) gathers with his students to teach them the rituals of the village festival, the rain-praying festival, the harvest-praying festival and some customs and practices related to the rituals and beliefs of the Khmu ethnic group. Holding a drumstick and a set of drums in his hands, artisan Quàng Văn Cá meticulously guides his students in each practice method and the meaning of each object. Mr. Ca confided: “When I was young, I often followed my family to watch festivals. Because of my curious nature, whenever my village held a festival, I often went to where the shamans sat to pray to listen and watch them perform their magic. After each ceremony, my friends in the village imitated the dances, and gradually I memorized the festival rituals, traditional songs and dances of the Khmu people. Now, as I enter my “old age”, I wish to pass on all my knowledge to the younger generation, thereby helping them preserve the cultural identity of our people.
According to artisan Quàng Văn Cá, stemming from the desire to preserve the cultural identity of ethnic groups, in recent years, he has trained and taught the rituals he holds to more than 20 students. Most of his students have practiced them proficiently after being taught. Quàng Văn Hương, Ếng Tở commune - a student of artisan Quàng Văn Cá shared: It is not easy to absorb all the rituals that the teacher teaches because of the large amount of knowledge, but thanks to the teacher's dedicated guidance as well as the desire to preserve the beauty of the Khmu ethnic culture, we basically grasp the "soul" of the festivals and practice them proficiently.
In the integration trend, national cultural heritage is not only considered a valuable asset for traditional education and personality education for the younger generation, but also a great resource contributing to the economic and social development of the country. Recognizing that importance, the Start-up Project "DTEC - Preserving the traditional embroidery craft of ethnic minorities in Dien Bien province" developed by the Traditional Embroidery Club, Dien Bien College of Economics and Technology has the significance of not only orienting careers, but also contributing to the process of preserving and conserving the traditional cultural beauty of the nation.
Established in early 2021, the club has attracted many students from the school to participate. Ms. Mai Thuy Dung, a club member, said: The club members are all ethnic minorities such as Thai, Mong, Dao... and especially, they are all passionate, love and know how to sew and embroider traditional products of their ethnic group.
According to Ms. Mai Thuy Dung, every week, outside of class time, the club will organize 1 to 2 sessions for teachers to guide embroidery techniques and members to supplement and give feedback to perfect their products. In addition, to improve the skills of the students, the school has invited experienced artisans to teach and guide each embroidery stitch, the meaning of ethnic patterns and motifs... Thanks to that, the products are traditional hand-embroidered cloth bags, meticulously handmade by the club, becoming more and more perfect and beautiful. In particular, the motifs and patterns on the products also show the unique culture of each ethnic group with environmentally friendly materials. This shows that the students are truly passionate about their ethnic traditional culture.
As a province with many ethnic groups living together, each ethnic group has its own traditional cultural identity, from costumes, architecture, customs, beliefs... this creates richness and diversity in the colorful picture of ethnic groups. Therefore, in order to contribute to preserving the traditions and cultural identities of ethnic groups, in recent times, all levels and sectors have had many practical programs and actions. Typically, the propaganda, education and experiential activities program at schools implemented by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism in coordination with the Department of Education and Training with the content "Promoting the value of cultural heritage associated with educational activities and building a culture of behavior in schools in the period of 2020 - 2025" is one of the programs that contributes to helping the younger generation continue the cultural traditions of the nation.
According to the leaders of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, based on discussions and agreements with schools and related units in districts and towns in the province, the Provincial Museum will be the direct implementing unit, coordinating with schools (mainly junior high schools and high schools) to carry out propaganda and experience activities about traditional cultural features of ethnic groups in Dien Bien. Thereby helping students have a general view and better understanding of ethnic groups in the area, raising awareness and responsibility for the work of preserving, maintaining and promoting the national cultural identity of the young generation in the digital age. Up to now, after a period of implementation, the program has been implemented in 6 schools. Through analysis and evaluation, the program has brought positive results. Students are basically interested in participating. In particular, through experiential activities, a joyful and exciting atmosphere has been created; thereby helping students gain the necessary knowledge about the ethnic culture in the area; at the same time, understand more deeply about the implementation as well as the good meanings of traditional culture that have been nurtured since ancient times...
Speaking about the responsibility of the young generation in preserving and conserving national culture, Mr. Dang Thanh Huy, Secretary of the Provincial Youth Union, said: In the context of globalization increasingly affecting all aspects of life, the issue of preserving national cultural identity, "integrating without dissolving" is becoming a major concern of society. Culture has enormous power, affecting the goals of economic and social development. Therefore, preserving national cultural identity is especially important in the current situation, especially for union members and young people.
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