Dong Nai (VNA) – A ceremony was held on April 19 in the southern province of Dong Nai to recognise the Sayangva festival – rice worship ritual of the Cho Ro people – as national intangible cultural heritage.
Sayangva is the most important traditional festival of the Cho Ro community in Dong Nai. Deeply rooted in agricultural beliefs, it expresses gratitude to heaven and earth and deities, especially the Rice Goddess, while praying for bumper harvests and prosperous lives.
Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Khac Vinh said the recognition is only the beginning. More importantly, it entails responsibility for preserving and promoting the heritage in an effective and sustainable manner.
He called on localities to proactively develop plans to safeguard and promote the heritage in line with practical conditions, while linking preservation with tourism development to create sustainable livelihoods for locals. He also stressed the need to organise festival activities properly, ensuring the preservation of traditional identity and avoiding any distortion of heritage values.
For the Cho Ro community, village elders and artisans are encouraged to pass on knowledge, skills, and rituals to younger generations, contributing to the sustainable safeguarding of the heritage, he added.
At the ceremony, Cho Ro people in Bao Vinh ward re-enacted the Sayangva festival.
According to the National Statistics Office, the Cho Ro population stood at more than 29,500 in 2019, living in various localities nationwide, with the largest number - around 16,000 -recorded in Dong Nai.
The Cho Ro are considered one of the four indigenous ethnic groups in the province. They mainly live the communes and wards of Binh Loc, Bao Vinh, Long Khanh, Xuan Loc, Xuan Phu, La Nga, Phu Ly, and Song Ray./.
