Members of the Muong Chieng Commune Folk Culture Club perform ‘khap Tay’ melodies, welcoming new year.
Xa Thi Mai in Chieng Cang village, Muong Chieng commune (Da Bac) is proud of her homeland's ‘dieu Tay’ melodies. Nearly 70 years old, she still sings Tay melodies enthusiastically, and participates in cultural, artistic and community activities. The more she is attached to the melodies of the Tay people, the more she understands why the melodies are indispensable in important occasions of the village. ‘Khap Tay’ is like the soul of the party, an indispensable spiritual "food” for the people during holidays, Tet, or special occasions such as housewarming, longevity celebration, and wedding. Khap is not only for young men and women of marriageable age, but also a joy for the whole hamlet, creating a connected cultural space, imbued with the ethnic cultural identity.
like Mai, other members of the Muong Chieng Commune Folk Culture Club have enthusiastically practiced the most prominent Tay melodies to welcome the traditional Tet holiday. In particular, people are excited to receive good news at the beginning of the new year, as the local Party Committee and authorities will organise the Cau Muong festival in 2025. Although the specific time has not been set, this information makes many excited to wait because this is a festival representing the unique cultural values, rich in identity of the Tay ethnic community in Da Bac.
Coming to Da Bac on the occasion of the traditional New Year to explore the unique cultural values of ethnic minorities is the choice of many tourists. Immersing in the space imbued with the identity of traditional festivals, tourists can explore the cultures of ethnic groups when participating in activities such as bamboo dancing, xoe dancing, competing in ethnic sports, experiencing brocade weaving, and enjoying local dishes. In particular, there is an interesting experience that tourists should not miss when coming to the mountainous district: writing ancient Tay characters.
Luong Duc Chom in Bay hamlet, Trung Thanh commune is a Meritorious Artisan who has devoted much effort to researching, studying, collecting and teaching the ancient Tay script. For many years, he has always been concerned about restoring, preserving and promoting the value of the Tay script. Therefore, for anyone interested in the script and culture of the Tay ethnic group in his hometown, he is willing to share and provide practical guidance.
The Resolution of the 25th Da Bac district Party Congress in the 2020 – 2025 term, identifies culture as an important resource for tourism development. The district's advantage is the convergence of many unique cultural values of ethnic minorities. Therefore, the district Party Committee and authorities have focused on leading and directing the concerted implementation of solutions to develop culture associated with tourism development and economic activities, thereby creating momentum for new rural-style rural area building in the 2025 – 2030 period.