Legend has it that a wicked yellow monkey came to the land of the Ma Coong people and destroyed fields every night, leaving villages in a state of perpetual hunger. Elders therefore came up with the idea of beating drums and gongs to chase the monkey away.
Over the course of many years, this became the drum festival for Ma Coong people, who belong to the Bru-Van Kieu ethnic group.
Every year, local people offer deities the best of the recent harvest to demonstrate the enormous devotion of the village patriarch and to pray for prosperity.
The ceremony is performed on lunar January 16, when there is a full moon. They beat drums while singing, drinking, and dancing until the drumhead is broken.
Despite historical ups and downs, the festival of the Ma Coong people has been held for generations. It reflects the people’s dream of prosperity, and is also a trait of their traditional culture./.
