Distinguished artisan Pham Thi Tang, from Lo village, Minh Son commune, teaches the Pon Poong ritual to the community.
Promoting the role of the community as the main actors.
The Chá Mùn Festival, also known as the Thanksgiving Festival of the Thai community in Beo village, Yen Thang commune, is a traditional ritual of families and clans practicing traditional medicine, signifying gratitude to heaven and earth for bestowing medicinal herbs that heal people. However, over time, transcending the ritual of gratitude within families and clans, the Chá Mùn Festival has become a communal festival of the Thai community in Beo village. Discussing the community cohesion in the Chá Mùn Festival, Mr. Lo Viet Lam from Yen Thang commune affirmed: “Initially, the festival belonged to families and clans. Later, it became a village festival because of its joy and significance in community life. Cultural and artistic programs attract a large number of people from within and outside the village to participate.”
Intangible traditional cultural values are nurtured and built through the labor process, cultural activities, customs, and folk beliefs of communities. Importantly, the people are both the creators and beneficiaries of these cultural values, and also the custodians and transmitters of traditional cultural values. Besides providing information and documentation about heritage to future generations, the people themselves are the ones who fully practice these traditional cultural values. Currently, the province has 120 active folk culture and arts clubs. With dedication and tireless effort, members of these clubs have absorbed the essence from artisans and elders to enrich and cultivate intangible cultural values.
Let's work together to preserve
intangible cultural heritage
Almost everyone in the Muong ethnic community in Minh Son commune and neighboring communes knows the name of Meritorious Artisan Pham Thi Tang from Lo village. With her passion for the traditional craft of her ancestors, Meritorious Artisan Pham Thi Tang has contributed to reviving a festival considered the "soul" of Muong culture: the Pon Poong festival.
Even now, at her advanced age, she remains dedicated to teaching the rituals, dances, and songs of the Pồn Pôông festival, integrating it into community life and enriching the cultural and spiritual lives of the people, especially the youth. Meritorious Artist Phạm Thị Tắng shared: "I will continue to perform the Pồn Pôông dance until I am too weak to do it anymore. I regularly pass on the dances and songs to my children and grandchildren in the club, hoping that the cultural values of Pồn Pôông will spread and endure."
For many years, Mr. Phung Quang Du, residing in Ha Son neighborhood, Ngoc Lac commune, has diligently researched, collected, and fully restored the traditional rituals of the Dao Quan Chet people. During festivals and important village events, from the coming-of-age ceremony for young people, the New Year's dance, naming ceremonies, and wedding ceremonies, he is always present to guide the villagers in performing these traditional rituals. His work has contributed to spreading awareness and responsibility among the people in preserving and maintaining the traditional culture of ethnic minorities. Mr. Du said: "Growing up, I saw that the culture of the Dao people was fading away, especially their festivals and customs. Therefore, I have diligently collected all the rituals and passed them on to my children and grandchildren in the surrounding villages."
Thanh Hoa currently has 66 individuals who have been awarded the title of Meritorious Artist by the State, and 3 individuals who have been awarded the title of People's Artisan. These are both exemplary individuals in creating and promoting heritage values, and members of the community. With outstanding abilities in performing arts, they tirelessly dedicate themselves to creating, passing on folk songs, folk dances, and traditional crafts to future generations. To promote the role and contributions of People's Artisans and Meritorious Artists, over the years, the provincial cultural sector, through cultural preservation programs and projects, has organized meetings, encouraged, and invited them to participate in programs preserving the community's traditional cultural heritage. This creates an environment and motivation for them to continue contributing to the preservation and promotion of traditional cultural values.
It can be affirmed that the diligent collection and contributions of Meritorious Artists, People's Artists, folk song and dance clubs, and the people themselves who are preserving and practicing unique folk rituals, games, and performances have significantly supported the cultural sector in restoring, preserving, and developing many traditional cultural festivals and rituals in the province. Over the past nearly 20 years, the entire province has collected and restored hundreds of traditional festivals, games, performances, folk songs, folk dances, folk poems, proverbs, and narrative poems of the Kinh, Muong, Thai, Dao, and Mong ethnic groups. Typical examples include the folk songs and dances of Dong Anh, the Xuan Pha performance, the Song Ma chant, and the ancient Cheo opera of Lang Mung... In mountainous areas alone, in the last 10 years, 12 projects have been implemented to preserve typical intangible cultural heritage of ethnic minority communities, such as: the ritual of "making the soul" and "pulling the si" - Muong ethnic group (formerly Cam Thuy district); The Xên Cung festival of the Khơ Mú people (formerly Mường Lát district); the Mường Khô and Căm Mương festivals (formerly Bá Thước district); the Đình Thi festival (formerly Như Xuân district); the Sết Boọc Mạy festival (formerly Như Thanh district)...
Intangible cultural heritage values are born from the community, exist and develop based on the community, and ultimately serve the interests of the community, enriching the cultural and spiritual life of the people. At the same time, they form a strong bond connecting generations, between ancestors and present and future generations, ensuring that the flow and source of culture remain uninterrupted, enduring and shining brightly forever.
Text and photos: Mai Ngoc
Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/vai-role-cong-dong-trong-nbsp-bao-ton-van-hoa-phi-vat-the-261141.htm
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