Visit Binh Dinh, experience the traditional cultural beauty of ethnic minorities

Binh Dinh province has 3 main ethnic minorities: Bana, Cham H'roi, H're, living in 6 districts: An Lao, Vinh Thanh, Van Canh, Hoai An, Tay Son and Phu Cat. In recent times, in addition to focusing on economic development, ethnic minorities in the mountainous areas of Binh Dinh province have always paid attention to preserving and promoting the beauty of their traditional cultural identity. Not only that, the functional sectors of Binh Dinh province are also making efforts to find solutions to preserve and promote the beauty of the traditional culture of ethnic minorities in the mountainous areas of the province associated with community tourism.

Preserving traditional festivals of ethnic minorities. Photo: Internet.

When traveling to Binh Dinh, visitors will be able to experience the unique traditional culture of the people here. Each ethnic group has its own cultural identity, always preserving and promoting the traditional values ​​of its people. The unique cultural identities of the Cham, Bana, and H're people in Binh Dinh are rich and diverse, expressed in labor, production, life, society, spirituality, etc. Those cultural identities have become beautiful features, cultural standards that are preserved, conserved, and passed down from generation to generation by the ethnic groups in Binh Dinh province.

The Cham H'roi people in Van Canh district, Binh Dinh province have many festivals such as: Praying for rain, Eating pigs, Worshiping the village god, and Welcome to a new house. The common point of these festivals is always to create closeness and solidarity among ethnic minority communities in the mountainous areas. For the Cham H'roi people in Van Canh district, the Welcome to a new house ceremony is a regular and important ritual. Depending on the abundance and convenience in work, people organize ceremonies and pray for peace and smoothness in everything.

When the gongs and drums sounded, it was also the time for prestigious people, shamans and the community to support the couple Dinh Van Lich (a Cham H'roi) to perform the Housewarming ceremony. The prestigious shaman and village elder, representing the homeowner, presented offerings to the gods including: a rooster symbolizing perseverance and resilience in life, 2 jars of rice wine to pray for favorable weather, good rice crops, smooth business, and everyone's health... At the end of the Housewarming ceremony, Mr. Lich shared: The Housewarming ceremony of the Cham H'roi people must not lack a pole placed in front of the house. The pole must stretch high, forming the wings of a Ktang bird - a bird symbolizing the peace of the Cham H'roi people. Notably, during the festival, everyone wears brocade costumes. When entering the festival, the sound of gongs and drums resounds, everyone enjoys rice wine and joins in the xoang dance of the highland people.

Cultural identity has become a beauty, cultural standards are preserved and promoted by ethnic people in Binh Dinh province. Photo: Internet.

For the Bana people in Vinh Thanh district, the ceremony to welcome the rice god back to the village when the harvest season begins is very important. According to traditional customs, before the rice harvest season, each family and village organizes a ceremony to welcome the rice god back to the village. This is an occasion to inform the gods that after a year of hard work, the harvest season has come. The offerings to the gods are pigs, chickens, and many jars of rice wine with new green rice, new rice, inviting the gods to join the family and the village to eat new green rice, drink rice wine and have fun playing gongs, drums, dancing, and singing with the villagers.

Ms. Vo Thi Hong Lien, Director of the Vinh Thanh District Cultural and Sports Center, said that through many ups and downs, the Bana people's ceremony to welcome the rice god to the village still retains its beautiful traditional cultural features. When celebrating a good harvest, people call it welcoming the rice god to the village, and they hold a festival to celebrate. Regarding the festival of the people, we need to rebuild it to preserve, maintain and promote the traditions of the Vinh Thanh Bana people.

In recent times, the Department of Culture and Sports of Binh Dinh province has organized many activities related to preserving and promoting the cultural identity of ethnic minorities in the mountainous areas of the province. The 16th Cultural and Sports Festival of Ethnic Minorities in the mountainous areas of Binh Dinh province took place this year, providing an opportunity for the Bana, Cham H'roi, and H're people to exchange culture, preserve and promote the unique culture of the ethnic groups. In addition, the festival also contributes to preserving and promoting the unique, rich and unique cultural capital of the ethnic groups.

Mr. Ta Xuan Chanh, Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Binh Dinh province, said that in the coming time, the Department will coordinate with localities to promote the preservation and promotion of the cultural identity of ethnic minorities in the mountainous areas of the province. At the same time, pilot the development of community tourism in ethnic minority areas. "To promote the province's tourism and especially the identity and characteristics of ethnic minorities in Binh Dinh province, we organize in some places with traditions such as Vinh Thanh, An Lao, Van Canh... to attract tourists. Through cultural and artistic activities as well as traditional production activities of ethnic people in the villages./.

Yanjiang