Cao Lan cultural beauty from simple things

Members of the Cao Lan ethnic culture preservation club in Binh Thuan ward guide the young generation to learn about the culture of the Cao Lan people.

Preparing to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, the women in village 7, Binh Thuan ward, take the opportunity to collect wild pandan leaves, along with sticky rice and green beans, to make chim gau cakes for their children and grandchildren. This is a typical cake of the Cao Lan people. Mrs. Phuong Thi Vu, 80 years old this year, shared that her grandchildren really like to eat chim gau cakes, so she took the opportunity to make them. Therefore, she chose delicious sticky rice, mixed with green beans to make the cake filling. In particular, she soaked tree leaves with sticky rice to create a purple color, which is both beautiful and delicious. Wild pandan leaves are used to wrap the cake, woven into the shape of a chim gau bird. Then, they are boiled for 3-4 hours. Chim gau cakes do not have filling, but the rich taste of beans and the fragrant, sticky rice create their own characteristics.

Cao Lan people's woof cakes.

Ms. Vuong Thi Trieu, residential group 7, Vice Chairman of the Cao Lan ethnic identity preservation club in Binh Thuan ward, said that in 2022, Doi Can ward, now Binh Thuan ward, established the Cao Lan ethnic identity preservation club. Members include members of the elderly association of 6 residential groups: Groups 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and Group 9. These are all residential groups with a large population of Cao Lan people.

Cao Lan people in group 7, Binh Thuan ward skillfully wrap bird cakes.

The members of the Club regularly maintain the art movement, practice Sinh ca singing, practice traditional dances of the Cao Lan people such as: Shrimp shoveling dance, bird gau, seed tra dance... to participate in exchanges and performances on important occasions. In particular, on the 4th day of Tet every year, the ward organizes the Ky Lam communal house festival, and the members participate in art performances. In addition to Sinh ca performances imbued with identity, the Club also performs performances to celebrate the Party, celebrate spring, praise the glorious Party, beloved Uncle Ho...

A meeting of members of the Cao Lan ethnic culture preservation club in Binh Thuan ward.

To preserve the cultural identity of the Cao Lan ethnic group, members actively promote and remind their children and grandchildren to preserve their identity such as language, learning to sing, dance, wear traditional costumes, etc. The club also cooperates with Doi Can Primary School to teach Sinh ca singing to some students, contributing to the school spreading the Cao Lan ethnic culture in the school, helping them to appreciate and preserve the cultural identity of the ethnic group, and love their homeland and country more. Tran Duy Long, a 4E student at Doi Can Primary School, said that he really liked being taught Sinh ca by his grandmother. He also got to perform with the grandmothers in the ward, and every time he participated, he was very happy and proud of his ethnic cultural identity.

From a mini weaving machine, Cao Lan people in group 7, Binh Thuan ward have woven many useful products to serve life.

With skillful hands, along with carefulness and meticulousness, grandmothers and mothers also weave daily necessities such as knife straps, betel and areca nut bags... Mrs. Phuong Thi Quy is quickly weaving a pretty strap and shares that this small weaving machine is very convenient, she can bring it with her to work, or take advantage of her free time to embroider. She often embroiders for her grandchildren straps, straps of different types with unique colors; embroiders for her friends betel and areca nut bags that can be worn with them wherever they go.

The efforts to preserve and promote the cultural identity of the Cao Lan ethnic group in village 7, Binh Thuan ward have been creating positive and widespread effects. Thanks to that, traditional culture continues to be nurtured, becoming a priceless asset, contributing to enriching the diverse picture of the ethnic communities in the province.

Huyền Linh

Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/van-hoa/du-lich/202510/ve-dep-van-hoa-cao-lan-tu-nhung-dieu-binh-di-53208ea/