Hoa Binh’s Khai Ha festival thrills visitors

At the event (Photo: VNA)

Hoa Binh (VNA) -  The 2023 Khai ha (going down to the field)festival, the biggest traditional folk event of the Muong ethnic group in the northwesternprovince of Hoa Binh, took place at the provincial level for the first time fromJanuary 27 – 29 (the sixth to eighth day of the lunar new year).

The enticing festival featured a series of cultural, art,sport activities, and folk games, including a Muong Bi night market, Muongethnic costume fashion show, musical exchange, and demonstrations oftraditional crafts, among many others.

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Bui Van Khanhsaid the annual event, preserved by local people, embodies many traditional,cultural and historical values and attracts a large number of locals andtourists.

In 2022, the Khai ha festival of the Muong people in Tan Lac, Lac Son, Cao Phong, and Kim Boi district was recognised as a nationalintangible cultural heritage.

Locals join a ritual of going to the field to mark a new year of bumper harvest and prosperity. (Photo: VNA)

The festival, also dubbed as the ploughing or forest opening festival, hasconnection with the wet rice cultivation which carries a sign of civilisationof the ancient Vietnamese. It has become an indispensable cultural activity of the Muong people in the new year.

Khai ha in each Muong region takes place at different timesand places. Each site is associated with the history of the gods meriting theland and the ethnic community./.

VNA