The Thanh Minh (grave-visiting) festival, which falls on the third day of the third lunar month, is one of the most important festivals of the Tay and Nung ethnic groups as it is a celebration to remember the credits of parents, ancestors and the dead.
Families preparing trays of offerings for ancestors at Thanh Minh festival
In the Tay and
Nung people’s belief, Thanh Minh festival is a time for family reunion, no
matter where they are living or working far from hometown, they always return
home ahead of the festival to join their other family members on the occasion.
One day ahead of the festival, each family
prepares a tray of offerings, the more number of households the family has, the
more abundant their offerings will be.
In the northern province of Cao Bang, from early
in the morning of the opening day, people flock to the hillsides and mountain
sides, where the graveyard and cemeteries are located, carrying their
offerings, such as boiled chicken, pork, fruits, votive papers, eggs, wine, and
coloured sticky rice, including the two indispensable colours of black and red.
The colours of the sticky rice are made from
leaves grown in the locales’ gardens. Not only producing natural and
eye-catching colours, the leaves also bring a distinctive aroma to the dish.
As a celebration to pay tribute to the dead, the
villagers also clean up and burn incense for unmarked graves during the
festival.
After the visiting ritual, the family members
gather together to enjoy the offerings and hold exchanges with other families.
The festival is also observed among Tay and Nung
ethnic communities in Binh Phuoc, Binh Duong, and other South-eastern
provinces, during which worshippers prepare ‘may nhuong’ (steamed bamboo
shoots filled with minced pork) as an essential offering for their ancestors.
Source: NDO
Gongs hold a special place in the cultural and spiritual life of the Muong ethnic people in Hoa Binh province. More than musical instruments, they are an indispensable part of community rituals and collective memory, echoing through generations as a spiritual thread linking the past, present, and future.
Preserving and promoting the cultural values of the Muong ethnic group has become an urgent task in the current context, as many traditional values face the risk of fading away. This effort requires not only protecting the cultural identity but also eliminating outdated customs and developing a modern cultural lifestyle, contributing to sustainable values for the Muong community in Hoa Binh province.
The Muong ethnic culture, deeply rooted in Vietnam’s mountainous north, continues to be preserved and revitalised by dedicated individuals and communities determined to safeguard their ancestral identity.
The Muong group is one of the largest ethnic minorities in Vietnam, primarily found in Hoa Binh province. The Muong people in Hoa Binh boast a rich and diverse cultural treasure that reflects the unique identity of this ethnic group. Accounting for over 63% of the province's population, they have created and preserved numerous distinctive cultural values, contributing to their unique identity. Their cultural heritage is an invaluable asset, at the heart of their national identity, and represents a vibrant spiritual life that must be preserved and promoted in today’s modern world.
For generations, the ethnic communities of Hoa Binh province, particularly the Muong people, have preserved vibrant festivals deeply intertwined with the region’s geography, nature, and social traditions. These celebrations enrich Hoa Binh’s spiritual life and cultural identity, reflecting both folk beliefs and the intermingling of ethnic customs. Many of these festivals have endured the test of time, passed down through generations and continuing to thrive today. Among them, the Khai Ha (Going Down to the Field) festival stands out as one of the most significant events of the Muong ethnic group.
Muong calendar, known as sach doi, is an ancient folk knowledge system developed through observations of the movement of the pleiades star. This unique calendar consists of 12 bamboo sticks, each representing a lunar month. Specific days within each month are marked with distinct symbols, guiding locals in determining auspicious and inauspicious days for important activities.
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