(HBO) – Hoa Binh province is home to two Dao ethnic minority groups, namely Dao quan chet and Dao tien, who mainly live in Da Bac, Kim Boi, Cao Phong, Mai Chau, Ky Son and Luong Son districts, and Hoa Binh city.
Clothes
of the Dao groups are decorated with unique patterns on the background of
indigo colour, with a harmonious combination of accessories like scarves and
jewelries. Dao quan chet women boast a special dressing style as their trousers
are tightened to their legs.
Ban
Sinh Luong, a prestigious elderly in the Dao quan chet community in Dong Chua
hamlet, Thong Nhat commune, Hoa Binh city, said Dao people still wear their
traditional costume during the Tet festival, weddings and funerals.
Apart
from shirts and pants, Dao women also put on other accessories such as
brassieres, headscarves, silver necklaces and belts.
It
is noteworthy that Dao quan chet people do not practise weaving and they have
to buy fabric to make clothes. However, they weave belts themselves and embroider
them with colourful patterns. The art of fabric decoration has been preserved
among the community, and girls have to learn these skills from their mothers,
grandmothers, other family members and villagers at a fixed age.
Dao
quan chet women do not wear skirts but pants (Hau) that are made of indigo
fabric ending below knees and tightened to legs. Pant cuffs are decorated with
patterns and edges are stitched with colourful threads.
Of
note, Dao quan chet women wrap their calves with xa cap (chay keo) made of
white fabric clockwise.
Another
important accessory of Dao quan chet women is the scarf (called Coong pe song
in local language), made of three layers of black fabric whose ends are decorated
with floral patterns, eight-pointed stars and "Longevity” letter.
Unlike
women, Dao men’s costume is simple, comprising shirts (chang lui), trousers
(chang hau) and scarves (goong xong) of indigo or black colours.
To
preserve the traditional costume and culture, the provincial People’s Committee
has devised a project on building a centre protecting culture of the Dao quan
chet ethnic minority group in Thong Nhat commune in service of community-based
tourism. The project has also helped locals raise their income and living
standards./.
From March 10th – 11th, the People's Committee of Cao Phong town (Cao Phong) coordinated with the Relics Management Board to organize the traditional festival of Thuong Bong Lai Temple in 2024.
As spring comes, people in Phu Nghia commune in particular and Lac Thuy district in general flock to Tien Pagoda festival to enjoy festive activities during the annual event.
Khai Ha festival is a long-standing traditional folk festival with the largest scale of Muong people in Hoa Binh province. In 2022, Khai Ha fesstival the Muong minority in Hoa Binh province was recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. In 2023 and 2024, the festival was held on the provincial scale, getting together 4 major Muong regions (Bi, Vang, Thang, Dong) to participate, and it has been an opportunity for the quintessence of Muong ethnic culture to converge and shine.
With a great passion for national art, outstanding artisan Nguyen Manh Tuan in Voi area, Ba Hang Doi town in Lac Thuy district, has developed and promoted a Muong ethnic cultural space with over 2,000 artifacts which are familiar in the daily life in the Muong ethnic people.
Along with the process of integration and development, traditional cultural identities of the Muong ethnic community in general, and Muong ethnic people in Tan Lac district in particular, are at risk of falling into oblivion. Therefore, many clubs have been established in the locality to preserve and promote the beauty of the ethnic group’s cultural identities.
Held every three years, the swing festival in Muong Voi, Vu Ban town in Lac Son district is "one-of-a-kind". From the 5th to the 7th day of the first lunar month in the Year of the Dragon, thousands of residents and tourists flocked to the locality to experience the unique cultural festival.