The unique beauty of costumes of Muong women in Hoa Binh

If you have ever been to Hoa Binh , visiting the four famous Muong regions: Muong Bi, Muong Vang, Muong Thang, Muong Dong, visitors will be moved by the beauty of the landscape, the diverse cultural exchange, the friendliness of the people here and especially the gentle beauty of the Muong girls in their traditional costumes, the Pan Ao.

Muong Bi, Muong Vang, Muong Thanh women in the rice field festival of the Muong ethnic group in Hoa Binh.

Unique and impressive beauty

Like women of other ethnic groups, the Muong have their own unique costumes. Shirts, skirts, and accessories are often worn during festivals, New Year’s Eve, and sometimes in daily life.

The outer shirt of Muong women has many different colors of Muong regions, called Pan shirt or also known as short shirt. Pan shirt is long to the waist, the back has a fabric strip along the spine. The front of the shirt is cut deep down to the chest. The old Pan shirt of Muong people is sewn with a round neck and sewn sleeves, however today, Pan shirt sleeves are no longer sewn at the shoulder but are cut and sewn together in the style of Ao Ba Ba, tapering towards the wrist.

Accessories that go with Muong costumes, in addition to silver bracelets, necklaces, and bracelets, are also unique highlights.

The color of the costumes of Muong ethnic women is elegant, graceful, carrying a unique beauty that reflects the personality of Muong women, full of sincerity and sophistication. Ms. Bui Bich Le, Hop Phong commune, Cao Phong district said that the color of Muong women's costumes is not too bright, expressed through each part of the costume. The skirt must always be black or dark blue, the scarf on the head is always white, however, with the delicate handling of colors by combining the scarf, short shirt with the yếm, the set of tenh and especially the color and pattern on the waistband of the skirt has made the costumes of Muong women become unique, with a distinct feature. During festivals and New Year's holidays in the Muong regions of Hoa Binh province, the me khà and ún mang (old women and women in the Muong villages) dress up in Pan shirts, black skirts, green belts and silver relics, holding Muong gongs that make a resounding sound.

Muong women in Hoa Binh in traditional costumes.

With the unique designs and characteristics of the costumes of the Muong regions, the Muong Bi and Muong Vang girls wear light blue and white Pan shirts; the Muong Dong girls wear pink shirts, and the Muong Thang girls wear cobalt blue shirts. These colors blend together in the festival atmosphere and the sound of gongs, making the Muong women of Hoa Binh even more graceful and beautiful. Unique and elegant design The Muong women's costumes include: A white head scarf, called a hat by the Muong people, a hat is a white strip of fabric without a border in the shape of a triangle, about a span wide, longer than the head to tie behind the neck. For Muong women, the white head scarf has an important meaning because of its purity and nobility, and also to show respect and honor to ancestors.

The yem worn inside the Pan shirt is a square piece of fabric with different colors, the top edge is rounded to fit the neck, has a string to tie behind the neck, the two sides have strings to tie around the back, similar to the way Kinh people tie yem. Next is the skirt, the skirt in Muong costumes is divided into two main parts. The top of the skirt - also known as the skirt waistband and the body of the skirt. The skirt waistband is the most beautiful part of Muong women's costumes with elaborate decorations and colors. The art of decorating the skirt waistband in Muong women's traditional costumes belongs to the Dong Son art line, expressed through the layout, geometric motifs and stylized animals such as the image of the sun in the center of the bronze drum, transformed into 8-pointed stars standing close together in a horizontal strip on the skirt waistband, or animal motifs often seen on bronze drums, such as: deer, chicken, peacock, phoenix, snake, dragon... are also simulated on the skirt waistband.

Muong ethnic women wearing traditional costumes.

According to writer Le Va, Chairman of the Literature and Arts Association of Hoa Binh province, the art of decorating the waistband of Muong women on the one hand reflects the ancient human values of the ancient Vietnamese people, and at the same time demonstrates the aesthetics, creativity and skillful hands of today's women, who have adopted traditional values to weave waistbands, becoming the soul of Muong women's costumes.

The skirt body is connected to the waistband and then sewn into a tube shape. When wearing, people fold the excess part to the front. The skirt body is mainly black or dark blue. Under the hem of the skirt inside is a pink, red or floral fabric. When stepping up the stairs to the stilt house or when moving around, the skirt flares out with the steps, the floral fabric appears and disappears, creating an attractive, unique look of the Muong women's costume. Accessories that go with the Muong costume, in addition to the silver bracelet, necklace, and bracelet, the Tenh and the silver sac are special highlights, attracting all eyes. The Tenh is a long piece of fabric made of linen, blue or yellow and sewn together at both ends. When using the Tenh, it is tied between the waist and creates a knot at the hips of the Muong women. Along with that, the silver sac is cleverly woven into the Tenh from the side to the front, highlighted with decorative details in the shape of snails or silver-plated tiger claws...

Muong women in Hoa Binh wear traditional costumes during festivals, Tet, weddings or important events.

Mrs. Bui Thi Sen, Xom Chao, Kim Boi commune, Kim Boi district shared that the colors of Muong women's costumes are not as colorful as Thai women's costumes, but elegant, profound, and simple like the sincere and delicate personality of Muong women. Through the traditional costumes of the past, the family background, age, class of women and different Muong regions in Hoa Binh province are also clearly shown.

Preserving the cultural value of Muong women's costumes

According to Ms. Bui Kim Phuc, Head of the Department of Cultural Management, Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hoa Binh province, the traditional costumes of Muong ethnic women in Hoa Binh are a selective cultural exchange and crystallization through the preservation, maintenance and promotion of unique cultural features of the Muong ethnic people through many generations. The motifs, patterns and designs on the costumes are stories about the worldview, expressing the noble aspirations of the Muong community in Hoa Binh province, contributing to enriching the cultural colors of ethnic groups in the Northwest region in general and of Hoa Binh province in particular.

Muong ethnic women in Hoa Binh in traditional costumes.

Currently, with the fluctuations of the market economy , the synchronous development of the transportation system creates easy exchange between regions, the strong exchange of domestic and foreign cultures leads to many cultural values of ethnic groups gradually being lost and fading away. However, in the Muong regions, the Hoa Binh provincial government is still making efforts to maintain, restore and preserve cultural festivals, rituals and traditional customs of the Muong ethnic group. Muong women in Hoa Binh still preserve and equip themselves with traditional costumes to wear during festivals, Tet, weddings or important events.

On November 24, 2023, the People's Committee of Hoa Binh province issued a Decision approving the Project "Preserving and promoting the cultural values of the Muong ethnic group and Hoa Binh culture in the period of 2023-2030" in the area, aiming to research and evaluate the preservation of the values of "Hoa Binh culture" and the cultural identity of the Muong ethnic group in Hoa Binh province. Thereby, arousing and promoting the potential values of cultural heritage, aiming to form a number of Muong ethnic cultural spaces, spaces to preserve "Hoa Binh culture"; restoring tangible cultural values; promoting intangible cultural values of the Muong ethnic group; enhancing the promotion and promotion of "Hoa Binh culture".

Luu Trong Dat/VNA

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