Festivals of Mong People
Xoe Chieng Festival: Every year, on the 6th of January in the lunar calendar, Than Uyen District choose one commune to organize Xoe Chieng festival to preserve and promote traditional culture of ethnic people in the region and strengthen the friendship among ethnic groups to build their life and their hometown better. Every person including the old and young join hands and make a big friendly circle and, giving each other the best wishes for a prosperous new year.
Gau Tao Cha Festival is held on the 13th and 14th February in Nam Loong Commune (Lai Chau City). During the worshipping ceremony, the offerings are local specialties to worship the nature with the wish a New Year will be prosperous with abundant crops. Afterwards, they celebrate by organizing competitions, such as singing, pounding rice cakes and some traditional sports games like tug-of-war, stick push, jumping in bags, buffalo fighting.
King Le Loi Temple Festival: The festival is held in the middle of January (lunar calendar) to express the respect and memory to the national hero – King Le Loi, the man who led the army to Lai Chau to fight the Deo Cat Han invader. The festival is organized to strengthen the friendship of the nations, to build the spiritual life to meet the cultural spiritual needs of the people in the province.
Tien Son Cave Festival is held yearly in the middle of January (lunar calendar) to pray for good weather, bumper harvest, and healthy life with the entertainment activities, such as crossbows, throwing lucky balls, Chinese chess, tug-of-war, stick pushing, duck hunting, blindfolded goat catching, performance competitions, fashion of ethnic groups, special cuisines of Thai, Giay, Lu people.
Nang Han Festival is held in the middle of February (lunar calendar) in Muong So commune, Phong Tho District. According to Thai legend, Han is the woman who fights the enemy in the North, she is the pride and the symbol of peace aspirations. There are many cultural activities, such as performance completion, traditional games, Thai cuisines (stream fish, dry buffalo meat, eggplants soup, dry pig meat...)
Then Kin Pang Festival is a distinctive culture, a very unique spiritual traditional performance of Thai people in Lai Chau. According to the White Thai legend, under Po Pha (the king of heaven) are Thens. The Thens have the tolerance, generosity, love the nature and people. So the heavenly king assigned the Thens to the ground to help the people in the shape of human. If someone is sick, the Thens will give them medicine. If someone is unlucky, the Thens will pray for them to overcome the bad luck. Thens also pray for happiness, good weather, bumper harvest, peaceful villages on behalf of the community. In this festival, all the sick or unlucky people are helped to pray and make medicine. Thens play the roles as representatives of Heaven to meet people and help them with good weather, abundant drops and peaceful life. Then Kin Pang is often held on the 10th of March (lunar calendar). Then Kin Pang festival is considered the spirit of White Thai People in Muong So area, Phong Tho District.
Spring is the season of festivals to facilitate people and tourists to visit and enjoy the traditional culture of Lai Chau, the festival venues are often located in areas with convenient transportation. Therefore, Lai Chau welcomed tens of thousands of tourist from home and abroad in spring. Especially, in recent years, some traditional games have been restored, bringing big attraction for the festival, such as horse racing, buffalo fighting, archery, pillar climbing... Many foreigners are very excited to enjoy and immerse themselves in the festival atmosphere in Lai Chau. This is the promising sign that Lai Chau will become an unforgettable and indispensable destination in the journey of tourists.
Cập nhật: 6/8/2014
Trọng Văn
Translator: Thu Phương