Lac Son district preserves festival of Khoi Communal House

1/30/2022 - 7:22:58 PM

(HBO) – Since 2020, the festival of Khoi Communal House in An Nghia commune, Lac Son district, has been restored. This is a major festival of the Muong Khoi area, and its restoration has met the cultural and spiritual demand of local residents.

Khoi Communal House in An Nghia commune (Lac Son district) has been rebuilt, which has met local residents’ spiritual demand.

The local elderly said the temple is dedicated to "Quoc Mau Hoang Ba” (the title of a mother goddess), the three gods of Tan Vien Mountain, and some other gods. In the past, Khoi Communal House served as the venue for a number of events in the Muong Khoi area, but the most important was its own festival, held in the first lunar month.

The festival began on the 8th day of the first lunar month, when locals gathered to clean the site and make other preparations. On the next day - the main day of the event, they held worshipping rituals in the morning and festive activities on a rice field named Kham Xet in the afternoon. Many unique folk games of the Muong ethnic group were organised such as wrestling, crossbow shooting, horse racing, singing, and cloth ball throwing. The festival lasted through the 10th day of the first lunar month.

Due to various reasons, the communal house was demolished in 1950, and the festival was also abandoned. It was rebuilt on the old ground in 2018. Its valuable antiquities and worship objects dating back to the Nguyen Dynasty (1802 - 1945) are still preserved by local residents. Thanks to the attention from the Party Committee and administration of Lac Son district, the festival of Khoi Communal House has been restored and organised at the district level.

Held on the 8th and 9th days of the first lunar months, today’s festival basically still keeps the traditional process and rituals. It reflects people’s respect for and gratitude to the gods and pray for a new year of well-being, good weather, bumper crops, good health, peace, and happiness.

Bui Hung, head of the culture and information division of Lac Son district, said with profound humane values, the festival is organised on a large scale with unique rituals and folk games, attracting the entire local community. It is also an occasion for honouring ethnic groups’ culture and enhancing solidarity. The event is expected to help popularise images of this land and connect Khoi Communal House with other relic sites in Lac Son to form new tours and develop tourism./.

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