HÀ NỘI — Buckwheat flowers from the northern province of Hà Giang will be showcased at Lý Thái Tổ Park in downtown Hà Nội during a three-day cultural festival of Mông people starting today.

The event, designed to preserve and promote the cultural identity of the ethnic minority along with its integration, will feature a musical concert, a traditional costume fashion show, food festival and a series of traditional activities of the Mông, according to Trần Đức Quý, vice chairman of the Hà Giang People’s Committee.

“We will design the space of Lý Thái Tổ Park to reflect the mountainous region of Hà Giang, traditional houses of the Mông ethnic group and feature the culture of the indigenuous people,” he said.

Visitors will have an opportunity to enjoy activities such as đánh yến (similar to badminton), linen weaving, pan pipe dance and sênh tiền (castanets with strung coins) dance.

Hanoians and tourists will also be able to experience the rituals of Gầu Tào, the most important festival of the Mông, held in early spring to express their gratitude to Heaven and Earth, and pray for good luck and happiness in the new year.

The festival is a prelude to a bigger event honouring the culture of the Mông people to be held in Hà Giang city on November 18 and 19 with the participation of residents from 13 provinces nationwide “The festival honours the cultural values of the Mông ethnic group in the united and diversified culture of the nation,” said Quý.

“It’s a chance for Mông people in different regions and artists to meet, exchange and preserve traditional culture.”

The opening ceremony in Hà Giang city will be broadcast live on Việt Nam Television.

Native sports competitions and folk games of the community, as well as tours around the Đồng Văn Karst Plateau Geopark, are also planned. On display will be costumes, handicraft, and specialities like buckwheat wine and seedless persimmons. 

Traditional food is an integral part of the festival. On offer will be thắng cố (horse meat or beef and pork cooked w ith almost all the offal such as intestines, liver, and kidneys), thắng dền (a dessert of sesame dumplings, peanuts and coconut) and mèn mén (cooked corn powder).

Some 800,000 Mông tribespeople live in Việt Nam, constituting one of the country’s largest ethnic minorities. Most live in the northern mountainous areas and the north-central and Central Highlands regions. About one-third live in Hà Giang Province. — VNS