Binh Phuoc province has 44 ethnic groups, and the Long Tong festival of the Tay and Nung ethnic groups has just taken place here.

The festival area is organized by the local government at the Phuoc Tam hamlet cultural house, belonging to the Dong Phu district cultural and sports center. This is also the place where many Tay and Nung ethnic people have migrated from the northern provinces to Binh Phuoc to live in recent times.

Long Tong Festival is a unique cultural activity, imbued with the tradition of the Tay and Nung people in the northern provinces. It has the meaning of worshiping the god of agriculture - a god who governs agriculture . The festival is held with the wish for a bountiful harvest, praying for everyone, every family to always be healthy, peaceful and happy. At the same time, this is also an opportunity for villagers to share joy together after a year of hard work.

Scene of Long Tong festival in Dong Phu district, Binh Phuoc province. Photo: CN-TT

From early morning of August 11, 2024, hundreds of people came to the festival. Most of the women wore traditional costumes of their ethnic groups (Tay and Nung). At the festival, everyone participated in cultural exchanges, played folk games such as: sli singing, then singing, bamboo dancing, playing con throwing, grass bowing, stilt walking, top fighting...

Ms. Dam Thi Tam (residing in Tan Phuoc commune, Dong Phu district) excitedly said: "It's been a long time since I started living here, that I've been able to participate in and play the games that were once indispensable to my childhood. So many memories of my hometown, Lang Son province, come back to my mind."

Many folk games of the Tay and Nùn ethnic groups were performed by the people participating in the festival. This is a stilt walking game... Photo: CN-TT

Women's shuttlecock tossing game... Photo: CN-TT

The top-spinning game will be added to the 2024 festival. Photo: CN-TT

Mr. Trieu Van Nghia (residing in Tan Loi commune, Dong Phu district) - said: "Long Tong is a long-standing traditional festival of the Tay and Nung people. When we came here to settle down and live, we rarely had the chance to participate in festivals like this. It is known that many songs and folk games in the Long Tong festival are gradually being lost.

Therefore, the festival is an environment and condition for us, the young generation, to learn and perceive our role and responsibility in preserving and promoting our national cultural identity. We will try to learn from you to preserve and pass it on to our future generations."

Many elderly people come to enjoy the festival atmosphere, although due to their old age and weak health, they cannot participate in festival activities. Photo: CN

Mr. Le Xuan Nghia - Director of Dong Phu District Culture and Sports Center - said: "Dong Phu District is an area with a large number of Tay and Nung ethnic people migrating from the North to settle down and live. They live concentrated in a number of villages and hamlets and form ethnic cultural activities in the community.

The preservation and promotion of the value of national cultural identity is also of interest to all levels and sectors of the district. The Long Tong festival of the Tay and Nung people is also one of the cultural features that need to be preserved and maintained. Therefore, to organize this Long Tong festival, we must learn from the northern provinces.

Even, we have to meet some village elders and prestigious people to ask about how to organize the festival; then consult their opinions to supplement missing performances, folk games, and add traditional folk dishes...

Mr. Nghia hopes that the Long Tong festival of the Tay and Nung ethnic groups will be recognized by Binh Phuoc province as an official traditional festival of the province. From there, the investment, promotion and promotion of the Long Tong festival will be raised to a new level, with a larger and more systematic scale.

Source: https://danviet.vn/tinh-binh-phuoc-co-44-dan-toc-tai-day-vua-dien-ra-le-hoi-long-tong-cua-2-dan-toc-tay-nung-2024081310245629.htm