The program "Hoa Binh - Sound of the Land of Muong Ethnic Group" and Carnival 2022 contributed to introduce and promote the images of the country and people as well as the potential and strengths of Hoa Binh Province to many people and international friends.

Hoa Binh is the gateway of Vietnam’s northwest region. It has an important strategic position and is known as the "epic land", where many unique cultural values ​​of ethnic minorities are preserved, with nearly 800 intangible cultural heritages and over 18,000 valuable artifacts.

The program "Hoa Binh - Sound of the Land of Muong Ethnic Group" and Carnival 2022 was held in Hoa Binh province on the evening of July 31.

This was the first art program of this type organized in Hoa Binh province, with a harmonious combination of traditional and modern cultural elements.

Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan, representative of the Lao Embassy in Vietnam and delegates of central agencies and other provinces and cities in the country attended the event.

Within the framework of this program, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism awarded the Certificates of National Intangible Cultural Heritage to the "Bamboo Calendar" (Doi/Roi calendar) and the "Khai Ha Festival of the Muong ethnic group" in Tan Lac, Lac Son, Cao Phong, Kim Boi districts of Hoa Binh province.

The Khai Ha Festival of the Muong ethnic group in Hoa Binh, also known as the Khuong Mua and Thuong Toong Festival, is a traditional festival that has existed for a long time and is the largest traditional folk festival of the Muong people in Hoa Binh. 

The festival is associated with wet rice agricultural production, with many imprints of the ancient Vietnamese civilization. This is an indispensable cultural and religious activity of the Muong people in Hoa Binh, especially in the four major Muong areas of Hoa Binh province: Bi, Vang, Thang, and Dong (now Tan Lac, Lac Son, Kim Boi and Cao Phong districts).

The festival has a strong vitality in the people's life, which attracts the participation of the whole community of Muong people with a very high sense of responsibility, voluntariness and respect for the rituals and ceremonies and the people’s enthusiastic participation in folk games and cultural activities, arts and sports in the framework of the festival. Through the interesting activities of the ceremony and the festival, it has attracted a large number of domestic and foreign tourists to Hoa Binh.

In the process of existence and development, the Muong people in Hoa Binh province have created a very unique calendar. Although it has not yet developed into a strict calendar system with high accuracy that can be calculated many years in advance, it is clear that this is the product of a long-term observation of the laws of natural movement. At first, the bamboo calendar of the Muong ethnic group in Hoa Binh province is similar to a lunar calendar that is only calculated according to the operation of the moon, but it cleverly integrates the weather factor into the operating cycle of the Roi star.

This is the most special feature of the Muong ethnic bamboo calendar that we do not find in other calendar systems in the world. Establishing a calendar, the Muong had the means to discover the laws of nature, as well as the tools to plan their own agricultural crops. The value of folk knowledge of the bamboo calendar of the Muong is still being applied in the daily life of the Muong people, showing the permanence of national knowledge, which is worthy of a national intangible cultural heritage.

Chairman of the Hoa Binh Provincial People's Committee Bui Van Khanh emphasized that Hoa Binh is a land with a long historical and cultural tradition, imbued with cultural identities of the ethnic groups of Muong, Thai, Tay, Dao, and Mong, the cradle of the famous "Hoa Binh Culture". Hoa Binh is also blessed with many majestic and beautiful landscapes by nature.

Those potentials and strengths have been aroused and promoted by the local government to become a driving force for socio-economic development, improving material and spiritual life for people of all ethnic groups in the province.

Hoa Binh province also pays special attention to attracting investment resources in tourism infrastructure, aiming to quickly develop the tourism industry and turn it into the spearhead economic sector, striving to build Hoa Binh province into a green growth province, a center for cultural tourism, relaxation and high-quality experiences of the region and the world.

At the opening ceremony of the "Hoa Binh - Sound of the Land of Muong Ethnic Group" and Carnival 2022, Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan affirmed that, with a long history in Hoa Binh, the Muong people have created many unique tangible and intangible cultural heritages, contributing to enrich the cultural treasures of the 54 ethnic groups in the country. In particular, the Bamboo Calendar and the Khai Ha Festival were honored as the National Intangible Cultural Heritage associated with wet-rice agricultural production, demonstrating a high level of development, which is not only the pride of the Muong ethnic group but also all ethnic groups in Hoa Binh province.

The Vice President believed that these unique cultural values ​​are the link that unites the community and is the source of strength that is preserved, nurtured and passed on from generation to generation, which help people in Hoa Binh overcome all difficulties and challenges to firmly step up, build and develop their homeland more and more beautiful.

As part of the "Hoa Binh - Sound of the Land of Muong Ethnic Group" and Carnival 2022, artists performed a special show with three main parts: The ancient land – Muong land's harmony song - The sound of Muong Land. There was also the performance "Festival of Muong Land" which integrated circus acts with the folk games of the Muong people such as con throwing, crossbow contest, pounding rice, tickling...

Quynh Nga