In Chung Son village, the stone that the villagers hold in high esteem was put in a place surrounded by a metal fence and carefully protected by locals as the ‘soul’ of the village. At the beginning of each new year, the village holds a grand festival for several days to bring in the "sacred stone" to pray for a prosperous year.

Ha Xuan Tan, selected by the villagers to conduct the ceremony of picking up the "sacred stone" at each New Year, said no one knows exactly how long the stone has been there. Locals say it has existed since their birth.

According to the elders, in ancient times, there was a man named Tu Ma Hai Dao from the former Muong Dao area, now Ba Thuoc district. Orphaned at a young age, Hai Dao excelled in traditional games and martial arts.

When he grew up, he had impressive stature and martial prowess. Upon hearing that the Court would hold a martial art festival to find talents to help the king fight invaders, Hai Dao immediately headed to the capital to participate in the festival.

He outperformed all his rivals and caught the eye of a princess, leading to a royal marriage.

In the 18th century, the country's border area was often invaded by foreigners. The king assigned the son-in-law Hai Dao to lead the army to fight the invaders. Returning to his homeland, he recruited more Muong soldiers, trained them, and led them to the frontier.

Wherever Hai Dao's army went, they defeated the invaders and protected border areas. With his glorious achievements, Hai Dao was appointed by the king as the Border Commander.

Seeing the scenic and fertile borderlands, Hai Dao chose Muong Xia to establish his residence. With his presence, the area flourished, drawing back those who had previously left.

After Hai Dao passed away, the people of Muong Xia embedded his "spirit" into a stone to pray for his continued protection over the village. Today, this "sacred stone" is viewed as protecting the village's spirit.

According to Tan, the "sacred stone" has long been placed with reverence at the village center, on a mound in front of the communal house. In the past, villagers planted thorny plants around it for protection, later replaced by a sturdy metal fence.

"The stone lies near Tu Ma Hai Dao's temple and is considered the village's essence, untouchable or inviolable by anyone without cause. Locals believe that disturbing the stone without proper reasons will invoke divine punishment,” he said.

Thus, from ancient times until now, villagers have refrained from touching the stone without necessity.

Local people believe that a person's spirit is governed by the heavens. If the spirit is lost, illness will follow. Therefore, Muong Xia locals regard the 'sacred stone' as a treasure that guards the villagers' spirit.

Locals also recount that whenever someone from Muong Xia heads far away for work or study, or if there is an important family event, families take a garment of the departing person to Tu Ma Hai Dao's temple for blessings, followed by a visit to the stone to ask for support.

Tan said the Muong Xia festival and the ritual for bringing in the "sacred stone" occur on the 9th-11th of the lunar calendar in February.

During the festival, the stone is unearthed, cleaned, wrapped in a red cloth, and placed on a Long Dinh palanquin carried by nine unmarried men and nine unmarried women in traditional attire to Tu Ma Hai Dao's temple for ceremonies.

In recent years, villagers no longer unearth the stone. Instead, they find a similar stone, clean it, and place it near the "sacred stone" during the festival to conduct rituals.

"Before the festival, Muong Xia people return to seek blessings, hoping for favorable weather and prosperity throughout the year.

Because of its unique historical and cultural significance, the Muong Xia festival was recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2023 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.

Le Duong