(HBĐT) - Although her parents are Muong people, Mrs. Dinh Thuy Ha was born and grew up in Hoa Binh city. She can only speak a little Muong language. Even through her teenage years, she has never been worn a Muong dress.
Muong women dress traditional costume.
Ha participated in many big events,
including performances of Muong gongs and Muong costumes on the occasion of the
province's 130th founding anniversary, the Muong Culture Festival, and the
Culture and Tourism Week of Hoa Binh province in 2019, and the Hoa Binh Culture
and Tourism Festival in Hanoi with the performance of Muong gongs by 100
artisans.
She was determined to learn more Muong language,
and bought a traditional costume of Muong women. The costume of the Muong ethnic people in
general and Muong women in particular are quite simple, not brilliant, but they
boast unique characteristics.
In the past, the costume of Muong women was
usually a white or light-coloured shirt, and a strapless skirt made of dark
fabric or dyed indigo black. The most prominent part of a skirt is its
waistband, which is divided into three parts. The decorative art pattern on the
waistband creates a contrast to the black and white on the shirt.
Muong cultural researchers have listed 37
pattern motifs on skirt waistband, including 25 animal pattern motifs. Particularly, many of patterns on the Muong
skirt waistband are also popular motifs on Dong Son bronze drums. This shows
that the patterns have both artistic and historical values, relating to a
period of the civilisation of ancient Vietnamese. This is the most unique art
product of the Muong ethnic group.
Short shirts, bibs, belts, and head scarfs are
indispensable to form a complete costume of Muong women. Accessories are a set
of silver straps wrapped around the abdomen and hips, silver necklaces or those
made of silver-coloured materials.
Today, the trend of Muong women's costumes is
slightly stylized. Muong women use brightly coloured bibs, belts, and head
scarfs. The skirt waistbands are sewn with a buckle. Basically, the costume
still retains the traditional pattern of the Muong ethnic people.
Although it is not brilliant, but the costume
can help exalt the beauty and curves of women's body as well as the Muong
culture. Therefore, more and more women equip themselves with traditional
costumes./.
Hoa Binh province has carried out multiple programmes and initiatives to revive its cultural heritage which has gradually fallen into oblivion through the ebbs and flows of history.
The most prominent and defining feature in the prehistoric era of Hoa Binh is the Hoa Binh Culture. The Culture was first discovered in Hoa Binh. The significant prehistoric culture represents not only Vietnam but also Southeast Asia and southern China. Through excavations of cave sites in the limestone regions of Hoa Binh, French archaeologist M. Colani introduced the world to a "Stone Age in Hoa Binh province – Northern Vietnam" in 1927. On January 30, 1932, the First Congress of Far Eastern Prehistorians, held in Hanoi, officially recognised the Hoa Binh Culture.
Known as the "Land of Epic History”, Hoa Binh province, the gateway to Vietnam’s northwest, boasts a strategic location and a unique cultural tapestry woven by its ethnic minority communities.
The People's Committee of Luong Son District recently held a ceremony to receive the certificate recognizing Sau Communal House in Thanh Cao Commune as a provincial-level historical and cultural site.
Recognising the importance of cultural heritage preservation in protecting and promoting the value system of Vietnamese culture, and serving socio-economic development in the new period, Party committees and local administrations in Hoa Binh province have identified it as a key task in the cultural development strategy. The province has been making efforts in mobilising resources, creating consensus among people and engaging ethnic communities in preserving and promoting cultural identity.
Hoa Binh province has captured growing attention both domestically and internationally for its distinctive cultural heritage and rich history. Most notably, it has been renowned for its famous Hoa Binh culture, considered the cradle of ancient Vietnamese civilisation. Looking ahead to significant milestones in 2025 and the 140th anniversary of province establishment in 2026, Hoa Binh Newspaper presents a comprehensive overview of the province's development across economic, social, cultural, tourism, and security domains.
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