(HBO) – Mo Muong is a kind of heritage holding the special cultural essence of the Muong ethnic people. To seek the world heritage title for Mo Muong, it needs to be assessed in comparison with the Muong ethnic culture and similar heritage types in the world so as to highlight its unique values.
A Mo shaman practices a ritual in a house of
Muong people.
Mo Muong is a form of folk belief consisting of
three main factors: the environment for practices, Mo lyrics, and Mo artisans.
Recently, an international workshop on Mo Muong
and similar rituals of beliefs in the world has been held in Hoa Binh province
by the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Musicology
Institute under the Vietnam National Academy of Music. It helped supplement
scientific information about Mo Muong and created a chance for the community
possessing this heritage to directly take part in the compilation of a dossier
seeking the UNESCO recognition of Mo Muong as part of world intangible cultural
heritage in need of urgent safeguarding.
Dr Do Quang Trong, Deputy Director of the Thanh
Hoa provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Dr Nguyen Van
Hai, Director of Thanh Hoa’s centre for history studies and cultural heritage
preservation, said Mo Muong is sacred folk rituals of the Muong ethnic minority
in funerals or ceremonies praying for good things.
It is associated with the human life cycle, they
said, elaborating that a Mo shaman prays for blessing for a newborn; expels
evil spirits from a sick person; performs rituals in weddings, ancestor worship
ceremonies, or new house celebrations; and serves as a bridge seeing off the
soul of the deceased to the afterlife.
About special values of Mo Muong, researcher and
Meritorious Artisan Bui Van Noi said the first outstanding value is its epic
characteristic with content related to the history of the Muong ethnic group
and humankind. The heritage also bears spiritual and custom values, teaches
people lessons about industriousness, along with values in terms of philosophy,
performing arts, and demonstration language.
Prof. and Dr Wolfgang Mastnak from Germany’s
University of Music and Performing Arts Munich held that Mo Muong matches many
UNESCO criteria for intangible cultural heritage such as its compatibility with
human rights and mutual respect for culture; being considered an indispensable
part of the cultural life by the community practicing it; and being deeply
rooted in the community and continuously passed down to future generations and
recreated.
Mo Muong reflects cultural diversity in the world
and also the creativity of humankind, he added.
However, amid the wave of modern cultures, Mo
Muong is facing the risk of disintegration, requiring all-round solutions to
preserve and bring it into play.
MA Vu Thanh Lich, Deputy Director of the Ninh Binh
provincial Department of Culture and Sports, and Dr Nguyen Thi Thanh Van from
the Hanoi University of Culture pointed out the need for concerted and strong
engagement from relevant parties, including local administrations, cultural
authorities, the community possessing the heritage, researchers, and relevant
organisations and individuals to uphold and promote the values of Mo Muong in
the Muong ethnic community./.
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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