Festival to honor cultural identity

Currently, Son La has 20 national intangible cultural heritages, including 16 heritages in the form of folk performing arts, social customs and beliefs. Each ceremony, from the Dao Tien's Cap Sac ceremony, the Thai Trang's Kin Pang Then ceremony, the La Ha's Pang A ceremony, the new rice worship ceremony of the Kho Mu people, the Mong's clan worship ceremony... is a living museum preserving memories, knowledge and folk arts passed down from generation to generation. Within the framework of the Celebration, the Thai Xoe Art Festival and the performance of festival excerpts, traditional cultural rituals of ethnic groups became special highlights, attracting a large number of people and tourists. The festival space was bustling with the sounds of drums, gongs, flutes, and Tinh lutes, combined with the colorful costumes, vividly recreating the rich spiritual life of the ethnic communities of Son La.

Performance of an excerpt from the Pang A Festival of the La Ha ethnic group, Muong La commune.

Mr. Pham Hong Thu, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said: Through the Thai Xoe performance, the festival excerpt aims to honor the good traditional cultural values of the nation, especially the recognized cultural heritages. At the same time, encourage mass art troupes to be proactive and creative in exploiting folk performing art materials, and dramatizing traditional ritual performances. Thereby, arousing national pride, educating and transmitting traditional culture, promoting the role and responsibility of the people themselves, the heritage keepers, and the cultural subjects in the journey of preserving and promoting the original cultural values of the ethnic groups in Son La.

Performing Kin Pang Then ritual of the White Thai people, Quynh Nhai commune.

In the vibrant atmosphere of the big event, mass art troupes from communes and wards in the province brought unique cultural colors with 12 traditional festivals and rituals of the Dao, Thai, Kho Mu, La Ha and Muong ethnic groups. In addition to the rituals that have been recognized as national intangible cultural heritage, on this occasion, many new rituals, currently being researched and documented for heritage, were also performed in excerpts, such as: New Rice Celebration Ceremony of the Thai people in Song Ma commune, Tang Cau ritual of the Black Thai people, New Rice Celebration Ceremony of the Kho Mu people in Thuan Chau commune, Pulling the Si tree ceremony of the Muong people in Bac Yen commune, Han Khuong ceremony of the Black Thai people in Chieng Coi ward... The religious rituals were recreated by artisans in a concise manner, in the form of performances and dramatization, attracting viewers, helping the audience understand more deeply about the customs, beliefs and life philosophies of each ethnic group.

Banyan Tree Pulling Ceremony of Muong ethnic group, Bac Yen commune.

Mr. Dinh Van Chuong, the artist who presided over the excerpt of the Banyan Tree Pulling Ceremony of the Muong ethnic group in Bac Yen commune, excitedly said: We are very happy and proud to bring the traditional ritual of the Muong ethnic group to the 130th anniversary of the province's founding. For the Muong people, the banyan tree is associated with the birth of all species, from the vast universe to each human being. The Banyan Tree Pulling Ceremony is meant to pray for favorable weather, bountiful crops, peaceful villages, healthy people, and long life.

Re-enactment of the New Rice Celebration (Kin Khau Ho) of the Lao people.

With the careful preparation of nearly 1,000 participants, including artisans and grassroots art cores, the performances of 6 ancient xoè dances and excerpts of rituals were creatively staged, ensuring both the preservation of the original and the breath of modernity. Each performance is a story, a unique identity, reflecting the working life, activities, beliefs and aspirations for a prosperous and happy life.

New rice celebration of the Khmu people.

Watching the performance of traditional rituals, Ms. Bui Thi Mai Huong, a tourist from Hanoi , shared: I learned about some traditional rituals of the ethnic groups in Son La through books and newspapers. Now I can directly witness the artisans performing the ceremony, see the solemnity in each ritual and the liveliness of the dances and songs. This helps me understand more about the lives and beliefs of the ethnic groups, and see more about the extremely rich and unique cultural treasure of the ethnic groups.

The joyful festival ended with beautiful impressions of the bustling Xoe dances, the sacred rituals were recreated, traditional cultural values were honored, sublimated with the modern life. That is the clearest proof that culture is the connection between the past and the present, affirming that the original values always have a sustainable vitality, lasting with time. This is also an important and indispensable part for Son La today to continue to inherit, build, develop, towards a new era of prosperity and civilization.

Source: https://baosonla.vn/van-hoa-xa-hoi/ngay-hoi-ton-vinh-ban-sac-van-hoa-3zVoVB6HR.html