HBO – For members of the Muong ethnic minority group, gongs are a valuable treasure and the soul of the region. They are preserved in every house and used in many major events in Hoa Binh province. In most of the cases, festivals are not started until the gongs sound.
Gong team in Ngoi hamlet, Ngoi Hoa commune,
Tan Lac district rehearses before participating in a team to pay Tet visits to local
households.
The
Muong ethnic group has 37 big festivals, of which 26 use gongs. Gong
performances have left deep impressions on locals and tourists. Gongs are
descended from one generation to another. Preserving ancient gongs and gong
performances is an important mission of every Muong ethnic. At present, the
province has more than 10,000 gongs.
Some
districts pioneered opening classes and inviting artisans to teach how to beat
gongs such as Kim Boi, Lac Son and Tan Lac. Each class has about 30
participants. In addition, to preserve the value of Muong gongs, local authorities
have stepped up disseminations, and encouraged and supported locals to develop
amateur art movements, thus attracting the participation of more than 2,000
locals who work as farmers, artists and communicators to make traditional gong
performances of the Muong ethnic group, contributing to the maintenance of the
sound of gongs.
During
the New Year festival, in each home, gongs are beaten to invite ancestors to return
home for Tet. The sound of gongs, combined with "sac bua” singing, heats up the
festive atmosphere. Normally, each gong team has 12 gongs symbolizing the 12
months in a year and is called a "Phuong bua”. Each "Phuong bua” is headed by
an old person called "trum phuong” who is an expert in gong types and knows
numerous Muong folk songs.
According
to the custom, "Phuong bua” plays gongs in its procession, visits each
household, and sings a song to wish the host prosperity. "Phuong bua” paying
Tet visits must be experts in gong beating. Girls must wear traditional
costumes of the Muong ethnic group. Gong performances used on this occasion are
cheerful and suitable for the spring atmosphere. An important thing is that
members of the gong team must have radiant faces and be well-spoken. When they
concentrate on gong beating, the sound will be attractive and pervasive,
according to Bui Thi Bach Kim in Cao Phong district’s Xuan Phong commune.
In
addition, the sound of the gong is a signal to open the region’s festival./.
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.
In responding to the movement of "All people stay united to build cultural lifestyle”, over the years, Kim Boi district has conducted many practical and effective activities to promote solidarity and mutual support among the local community in sustainable poverty reduction and building cultural lifestyle and a healthy cultural environment, and maintaining national cultural identity.
Hoa Binh Pedagogical College has just held the closing ceremony of the training class and issued the certificate of the language of Muong ethnic people to the oficials, civil servants and public employees of courses I and II in 2023.
Hoa Binh is an ancient land home to limestone mountains running along the southeast direction and in parallel with Truong Son Mountain Range in the West, forming many basins and valleys with a rich diversity of fauna and flora. Humans came to reside here in the pre-historic period, creating the world-famous Hoa Binh Civilisation.
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