HBO – As of June 2018, the ethnic minority groups in Hoa Binh province owned a total of 786 intangible cultural heritages, according to statistics of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. More than ever, the preservation and promotion of heritage values need due attention.
Artists
perform at second Muong gong festival
Hoa Binh is home to six ethnic groups with their own cultural
characteristics, which helps form a diverse, unique and impressive culture of
Hoa Binh.
Basically, the local ethnic groups still maintain their
traditional customs. The values of heritages related to literature, spoken language
and handwriting (excluding Muong ethnic group) are conserved, while folk
knowledge and traditional costumes are kept at an average level. For example,
Muong people’s cultural values such as folk singing, gong art, and epic are well
preserved and appreciated. Stilt houses are fading away, but many localities
such as Lac Son and Tan Lac are building stilt houses using concrete instead of
wood as usual. Meanwhile, Tay people still keep their folk songs and maintain
the teaching and learning of ancient handwriting in the community. The Dao
ethnic group continues maintaining "cap sac” (maturity ritual), Tet nhay
(dancing ceremony), and ancient handwriting study, while Mong people still
preserve their costumes, housing architecture, forging, language, Tet (new
year) festival and khen (panpipe) festival.
Notably, some positive signs have been seen in recent time,
including the development of traditional festivals and Muong gong. The role of
Muong shamans has been improved in society.
Localities have paid attention to and invested in preserving and
promoting the values of intangible cultural heritages through the formation of
one traditional cultural village, dozens of community-based tourism cultural
villages at the provincial level, as well as the implementation of nearly 30
scientific projects on culture and ethnic groups, the organization of nearly 50
classes to teach folk arts, hundreds of classes on ancient handwriting, and the
restoration of 50 traditional festivals.
As of June, five ethnic minority groups in the province owned 786
intangible cultural heritages, including spoken language, handwriting,
literature, folk performance art, traditional festivals, handicrafts and folk
knowledge.
The provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee allowed to
collect, study and make scientific documents for two intangible cultural
heritages: Mo Muong and Muong gong, and consider the use of Muong alphabet. The
province will continue making a document on Mo Muong to submit to UNESCO in
order to seek its recognition as the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent
Safeguarding./.
Once a vibrant part of the daily life for the Muong ethnic group in Hoa Binh province, traditional Muong singing styles such as "thuong rang bo meng” and "hat dup giao duyen” had faded over time. Today, local authorities and communities are working to restore and celebrate this cultural art form, recognising its value in preserving the group’s heritage.
Gau Tao Festival, one of the most important traditional festivals of the Mong ethnic minority group in Mai Chau district was held at the Pa Co stadium in Pa Co commune on January 11.
The ancient stone engravings dating back thousands of years in Suoi Co valley in My Thanh commune, Lac Son district, used to astonished domestic archaeologists. What their meaning is and what message they convey are the questions to which scientists are seeking answers.
Preserving and promoting unique cultural identities of ethnic communities in Hoa Binh province is considered a crucial task amid in the international integration trend.
More than just a cultural and historical attraction, the Muong Cultural Heritage Museum is playing a vital role in fostering sustainable tourism in the Northwestern region of Vietnam, particularly in Hoa Binh province. It stands as a model for the emerging trend of "responsible tourism," cleverly blending the preservation of cultural heritage with community economic development, raising awareness of Muong ethnic cultural values while promoting green tourism and sustainable growth.
The provincial Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism on December 24 organised a conference to report on the results of collecting, researching, restoring, and preserving "Bi doi”, a musical instrument of the airophonic family and a traditional instrument of the Muong ethnic people in Da Bac district.
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