Proud to wear the traditional Muong ethnic costume.

Việt Nam•17/02/2024

That's the assertion of many people when we asked about their pride in wearing the traditional Muong ethnic costume on important occasions, holidays, or major festivals in the Muong regions. The traditional Muong ethnic costume possesses a graceful and refined beauty, creating a unique cultural value that connects the past, present, and future.

Women in Ma 2 hamlet, Bac Phong commune (Cao Phong district) wear traditional Muong ethnic costumes during the Great Unity Festival in the residential area.

Proud of our hometown attire.

When Muong women wear their traditional attire, their gentle and graceful demeanor makes them feel more confident and elegant. Each detail of the clothing not only reflects cultural values but also showcases the women's skill. Muong girls, dressed in their vibrant outfits, are like blossoming flowers in the vast forest. Perhaps it is these qualities that make Muong women so proud to wear their traditional ethnic clothing.

We met Ms. Bui Thi Trinh from Ma 2 hamlet, Bac Phong commune (Cao Phong district) during the 2023 Great Unity Festival in the residential area. Along with other women in the hamlet, Ms. Trinh, dressed in her traditional attire, shared: "For the Muong people in the past, this was everyday clothing, but now women often wear it on festivals and celebrations. Wherever I go, whenever there's an important event, I'm very proud to wear the traditional clothing of my ethnic group."

The Muong ethnic group's Spring Festival, organized by the province in January 2023, brought together four Muong ethnic groups: Bi, Vang, Thang, and Dong. Thousands of women, whether gong players, performers, or ordinary people, were resplendent in their traditional Muong costumes. Ms. Dinh Thi Im, a resident of Lac Son district who participated in the festival, said: "In Muong families, each member (from children to the elderly) has one or two sets of traditional costumes to wear on holidays, festivals, and weddings. In traditional Muong weddings, the bride must still wear her ethnic costume. In my area, some artisans are very active in passing on traditional cultural features, contributing to preserving the costumes and decorative patterns on the Muong ethnic costumes for their descendants. They consider it a unique and distinctive cultural heritage of the ethnic group, which needs to be preserved and promoted in modern life."

Unique patterns of Muong land

Born and raised in Muong Bi, Ms. Bui Thi Mia, Deputy Head of the Traditional Brocade Weaving and General Services Cooperative in Dong Lai Commune (Tan Lac District), learned brocade weaving from a young age and has always been proud of her ethnic group's traditional attire. From a small craft village attracting a group of women with a shared passion and interest in brocade weaving, the cooperative was officially established in early 2023 with 55 members. Along with a diverse range of product types and designs to meet market demands, the cooperative's main product remains the waistbands for skirts in the traditional Muong ethnic costume.

Ms. Mia explained: Overall, the traditional Muong women's attire consists of a white headscarf (called a "bit trooc" or "hat"), a short blouse (a "pan" blouse), a bodice, and a skirt with two main parts: the waistband and the skirt hem. Muong women's blouses usually reach the waist or are knee-length or flared (often worn on special occasions) in bright colors, with a V-neck and long sleeves. Common blouse colors include white, but also elegant yellow, pink, blue, red, and purple. They can be worn over a bodice, revealing colorful brocade bodices underneath, or fastened discreetly with patterned fabric buttons. The skirt and waistband are the most prominent features of the entire outfit. The waistband is usually the most striking part, often brightly colored and elaborately embroidered. The waistband of the skirt is decorated with patterns from the Dong Son art style, featuring geometric shapes such as the sun, stars, or animals like deer, chickens, peacocks, phoenixes, snakes, and dragons.

While the women's attire of the Muong ethnic group is elaborate, the men's clothing is remarkably simple. They wear short shirts with round collars and trimmed edges. The trousers are made of coarse, plain fabric in white, brown, indigo, or black, and are straight-legged and elegant. When wearing them, the two edges of the waistband are crossed and tucked in, then secured with a scarf.

Preserving and promoting the traditional costumes of the Muong people as attractive tourism products.

To preserve and promote the value of the traditional Muong ethnic costume, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has focused on implementing a comprehensive approach to conservation activities linked with tourism development. The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism conducted surveys and field research in communes of Lac Son, Tan Lac, and Yen Thuy districts. This confirmed that the intangible cultural heritage "The technique of weaving patterns on the waistband of the traditional Muong ethnic skirt in Hoa Binh " is a unique cultural heritage, existing for many generations through the process of labor, production, and cultural life. It is an important indicator of cultural identity and contains immense artistic and historical values.

Furthermore, the province is promoting the preservation, exploitation, and promotion of traditional costumes by creating a focal point through the cultural spaces associated with these costumes. Local authorities are directed to annually restore and organize traditional festivals, "Miss Muong Ethnic Costume Showcase" contests, and other cultural and artistic activities to attract tourists. Simultaneously, tourism service businesses such as restaurants, hotels, and tourist areas are encouraged to use traditional Muong ethnic costumes. Support is provided to households participating in the development of community tourism in their localities; preserving and displaying the cultural heritage of the Muong ethnic group in general, and traditional costume heritage in particular, at community tourism destinations. Tourists are allowed to experience the heritage values through services such as renting ethnic costumes, experiencing weaving, and learning the techniques of creating patterns on Muong ethnic costumes in Hoa Binh. As a result, the traditional costumes of the Muong ethnic group have preserved their values and endured through time.

Linh Trang

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