(HBO) – The traditional fish-catching festival of Muong ethnic minority people took place on May 10 in Tan Vuong hamlet, Lo Son commune, Tan Lac district, Hoa Binh province, attracting crowds of local residents and visitors.
Lo Son, a remote
commune of Tan Lac, where more than 6 km of Suoi
Cai (Cai stream) passes through. Water from small streams around Muong Bi
area gathers to create one large natural Cai stream with clean water, providing
shelter for many kinds of fish.
Muong people here have
organised the fish-catching festival on the third lunar month every year for
generations.
Local teams compete in
casting-net throwing competition
The festival included
two parts – a ritual ceremony and entertainment activities.
The ritual ceremony was
solemnly held at the hamlet’s shrine where a shaman performed rites to pray for
good weather, bumper crops, luck and health. After that, four young men carried
a raft to the stream and representatives of the hamlet and commune threw the
nets first.
Raft racing
Meanwhile, the locals
joined the festival’s entertainment activities in the stream’s Tro and Lo areas,
such as draft racing, casting-net throwing competitions, fish-catching contest,
and a fair of local farming products.
Leaders of the People’s Committee of Lo Son
commune and local people release fries into the stream
The annual festival
aimed to pay tribute to the Gods while preserving and promoting the local
cultural values. It also provided an opportunity for the local people to get
relaxed and increase solidarity as well as raised their awareness of protecting
the environment and natural resources and harms of the destructive fishing
practices like those using electricity and explosives.
It was part of events
in celebration of Tan Lac district’s 60th founding anniversary
(October 15, 1957-2017).
By Thu Thuy
Through ups and downs, many unique cultural features of the Muong ethnic minority group are facing risks of falling into oblivion. However, with a strong determination, Lac Son district of Hoa Binh province has deployed synchronous solutions to preserve and promote the locality's cultural heritage values.
If Tan Lac is considered the core of the cradle of Muong culture in Hoa Binh, Phong Phu commune is the cultural centre of Muong culture in Tan Lac district. Luy Ai hamlet in Phong Phu commune is where customs and traditions of Muong Bi are preserved. Luy Ai hamlet was chosen to build a space to preserve Muong ethnic culture. The district is seeking support from the province and coordinating with relevant agencies to devise a plan on preservation of Muong cultural spaces associated with developing tourism products and improving the lives of local residents.
Nguyen Manh Tuan, a Muong ethnic man in Ba Hang Doi town, Lac Thuy district, is known as a young, dedicated, and outstanding artisan who has made significant contributions in collecting, restoring, and preserving national cultural values.
The Government Office with Document No. 2082/VPCP-KGVX, dated March 29, 2024, sent out the opinion of Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha regarding the submission of the "Mo Muong" and "Cheo art" dossiers to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
In the evening of March 28th, in Hoa Binh, the Department of Grassroots Culture (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) coordinated with the provincial Departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the city to organize a mobile propaganda contest to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7th, 1954 - May 7th, 2024) with the theme "Returning to Dien Bien”. There ứa the attendance of Mr. Nguyen Van Toan, the Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; the representatives of the leaders from a number of departments, branches and numerous veterans and Hoa Binh people.