Spring festival 2017 at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism in Hanoi (Photo: http://dantri.com.vn) Hanoi (VNA) – A spring festivalwill be held at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism inHanoi on February 24-25 to promote the rich and diverse cultures of ethnicgroups across the country and strengthen national unity.
The event will feature a wide range ofactivities, with a highlight being the re-enactment of the Gau Tao festival ofMong ethnic people and wedding ceremony of Bo Y ethnic inhabitants in thenorthern mountainous province of Ha Giang.
Gau Tao, held to thank gods for granting goodhealth to families and villages, is one of the largest traditional festivals ofMong ethnic people. It combines almost all types of folk cultural activities ofthe group and has been recognised as part of the national intangible culturalheritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Meanwhile, the Bo Y ethnic minority group hasmanaged to preserve their traditional culture from costumes and house architectureto wedding and funeral customs despite a small population. In the past, Bo Ypeople could only get married to those from the same ethnic group. But now, menand women are able to choose their partners from different ethnic groups. Thewedding ceremony is usually organized in spring to pray for happiness andprocreation.
Another major activity will be a prayingceremony where monks from Khmer pagodas will pray for peace and blessing.
People from Thai ethnic group in the northernprovince of Son La will host a folk game namely ‘tung con’ (throwing a ballthrough the ring).-VNA
VNA
