Co Lao is a very small ethnic minority group in Vietnam, with a population of over 4,000, including more than 1,000 living in Hoang Su Phi district, Ha Giang province.
The Co Lao people have preserved many traditional cultural values, such as folk music, beliefs, and unique traditional cultural festivals, including the Harvest Ritual held in the seventh lunar year every year.
The ritual is associated with the development of the Co Lao ethnic minority group, representing their agricultural beliefs and showing their customs of worshiping Hoang Van Thung, who is believed to be the founder of the village and helped the Co Lao people survive and thrive.
It is an important ritual for the Co Lao community in Tung San commune, expressing their hopes for a good harvest, lush trees, bountiful crops, and a full and happy life.
It is also an opportunity for local people to strengthen community cohesion for coexistence and development.
The Harvest Ritual was recently included on the list of national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
The Hoang Xu Phi District People’s Committee recently asked relevant agencies and the Tung San Commune People’s Committee to reenact the ritual in order to prevent it from falling into oblivion, helping the Co Lao people maintain it and pass it on to the next generations./.
