The northern mountainous province of Dien Bien has two more heritages named in the list of national intangible cultural heritages, raising its total to six.

Lao people in Nua Ngam commune celebrate the water festival 

They are the Bun huot nam (water festival) of the Lao ethnic minority people in Nua Ngam commune, Dien Bien district, and the art of making patterns on the traditional costumes of Mongz Lenhs, a branch of the Mong ethnic minority group in Sa Long commune, Muong Cha district.

Between 1986 and 2015, the water festival was held annually on the occasion of the Lunar New Year (Tet) Festival to facilitate family members’ reunion. However, since 2015, it has been celebrated on its traditional days, which fall on April 14-16 in Vietnamese calendar and May 11-13 in Lao calendar.

It is considered an important festival of the Lao people, with numerous traditional rituals, including ancestor worshipping and praying for rain.

During the festival, people splash water to wash away bad lucks in the old year and wish for the best lucks for the next year, as well as to farewell the dry reason and welcome rain for their new crops.

The event also features a number of folk games, such as Tau phac sa – tau lasa (turtle incubates eggs), Xua khop mu (tigers catch pigs), Ngu kin Khiet (snakes catch frogs), Pit mac tanh (ripe melon picking), among others.

Meanwhile, the art of making patterns on traditional costumes still keeps the traditional technique of using wax to make patterns, creating unique cultural and historical values and reflecting the marvelous skills of the Mong ethnic minority people.

VNA