Cau Muong Festival is one of the most representative festivals of the Tay in Da Bac. Cau Muong Festival has been held since Tay clans first came to live and settle here. The festival is usually held in Muong Chieng, the center of a cluster of seven mountainous communes in Da Bac district, where 90% of the population is Tay

 

Cau Muong Festival is held in Da Bac district

Over time, due to war, the festival was lost for over 60 years, causing many unique cultural and religious features of the Tay people in Da Bac to gradually fade away. In 2017, within the framework of the multi-purpose rural development project of Da Bac district, Cau Muong festival was researched, studied, and revived.

Cau Muong Festival is organized by the Tay ethnic people of Da Bac district to commemorate ancestors, tutelary deities, and clans in Muong Chieng commune who have contributed to the development and creation of the village. At the same time, it expresses respect for the earth god, water god, forest god, and tiger god for their favor in providing abundant rain, favorable winds, ensuring a peaceful, healthy life, and bountiful harvests for the people of the Muong.

 

The folk games organized at Cau Muong Festival in Da Bac district 

attract a large number of participants

The festival is organized into two parts: the ritual part and the festive part. The ritual part is carefully prepared with offerings at two locations: First, in the middle of the field - a place that, according to the beliefs of Tay people in Da Bac, is where abundant food is created for the people, so it must be the first place to place offerings, to ask the deities to accept and declare the reason for holding Cau Muong ceremony. Then there is the ritual of offering to the shaman and the Cau Muong ceremony at the cultural house of Na Muoi hamlet, performed by the shaman, assistants, the ritual dance team, drums, gongs, and the representatives of 12 clans. After arranging the offerings and seating, the ritual is performed very solemnly and respectfully by the shaman with the hope of praying to the deities to bless the people with health, prosperity, happiness, peace, and to avoid all misfortunes in life.

After the ritual part, the people of Muong Chieng commune and neighboring communes together enjoy the festive part, which takes place lively with spring scenes, entrance rituals, and the united Xoe dance with six ancient tunes of Tay people and other attractive folk games. In addition, at the festival, there are booths introducing the characteristic products of the villages in the commune: handwoven brocade, traditional medicine, Tay writing experience, handicraft competition, and folk sports competitions, etc.

Tay ethnic artisans are demonstrating traditional making bamboo family  tools at Cau Muong Festival, Da Bac district

Traditional festivals are a form of cultural activity, formed and nurtured over many generations, reflecting the unique characteristics of the spiritual life and culture of an ethnic group. Preserving, conserving and promoting the beauty of traditional festivals is one of the best ways to enrich the identity of a nation's culture.

• Prev
• Next