(VOVworld) - In Vietnam, spring is the season of festivals. When peach and apricot flowers blossom, it’s time for ethnic minority groups throughout Vietnam to celebrate with spring festivals. During the early days of spring this year, Vietnamese ethnic minority groups gathered at the Culture and Tourism Village of Vietnamese Ethnic Groups in Hanoi to introduce their festivals.
Gau Tao festival |
Gau Tao is a special festival of the H’Mong ethnic minority group in Duong Thuong commune, Yen Minh district, Ha Giang province. The festival begins with the village elder Song Lo Giang singing songs thanking the God for giving them children and a good crop. A pole tree is set up in the center of Village 1. A jug of wine and a piece of cloth are hung on the tree to inform the God about the festival and invite people to join in. In its home village, the Gau Tao festival is held to pray for happiness and health for the village. At the Culture and Tourism Village of Vietnamese Ethnic Groups in Hanoi, the festival involves good luck for the whole H’mong group here. The festival is also an opportunity for H’mong people to play folk games and for H’mong girls and boys to find their partners by singing duets. Giang Mi Phu, a H’mong man, says: “H’mong people hold the Gau tao festival to pray for good luck, more children, healthy children and a good crop. We are holding the Gau Tao festival here to introduce the festival and the cultural beauty of the H’mong people.
In another corner of the village, Pa Then ethnic minority people light a big fire and hold a ceremony to ask the Genie of Fire and Water for permission to hold a festival to show their gratitude to the God for having a bumper crop. Listening to a sorcerer sing ceremonial songs, fire dancers are inspired to jump into the coal fire. According to Pa Then people, how long they can dance in the fire depends on the strength given by the God. The fire dancing festival attracts Tay, Lao, Lo Lo, Hoa and Dao dancers. Phu Thi Thien from Ha Giang province says: “The fire dancing festival of the Pa Then people is held on the 16th day of the 10th lunar month and the 15th day of the first lunar month. After a year of working hard in the fields, Pa Then people hold the festival to drive away the ghosts and to pray for health and prosperity. I’m grateful to the Party and State for paying attention to the 4 ethnic minority groups around the country and for setting up this village where we can meet”.
The Gau Tao and Fire Dancing Festivals are followed by the Ky Yen festival of the Hoa, a wedding ceremony of the Dao and the Then ritual of the Tay people. Each festival and each event involves the participation of everybody in the community. Some prepare food and wine, some play musical instruments and others perform dances. They all hope to make their festival unique and exciting. Singer Nguyen Van Dai from Bac Giang province says; “The festival is not a stage art but nowadays, we have to perform at the festival to preserve it and make it popular among the community. Therefore, the artists have to practice to perform the songs on the stage. We really hope that this festival will be preserved and promoted”.
Pa Then fire dancing festival
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Each festival is associated with the customs and traditions of one ethnic group. The preservation and promotion of these festivals makes Vietnamese people more passionate about their diverse, rich culture.
Ngoc Nga- Thanh Hien