HÀ NỘI —Festivals of ethnic people living in the northern mountainous region will soon be on show in Hà Nội.

Entitled ‘Scent and Beauty of Mountainous Region’, the festival, organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, will take place on November 21-23 at the Exhibition Centre for Culture and Arts, 2 Hoa Lư Street.

It will feature the culture of ethnic groups from northern mountainous provinces such as Hà Giang, Tuyên Quang, Thái Nguyên and Sơn La.

The event aims to glorify the cultural heritage of ethnic minority groups in northern mountainous regions on the occasion of Cultural Heritage Day (November 23), according to Vương Duy Biên, vice minister of Culture.

“It also raises people’s awareness of preserving and promoting traditional culture,” he said.

Visitors will see cấp sắc (coming-of-age), the maturity ritual of the Sán Dìu from Vĩnh Phúc Province. All men must go through the ritual to be recognised by the community as mature enough to undertake communal positions. Other festivals featured include the wedding ceremony of the Dao from Tuyên Quang Province and lồng tồng (going-to-field) of the Tày from Bắc Kạn Province.

During the three-day festival, ethnic people will perform traditional music, singing and dancing.

An exhibition featuring the culture, landscape and local dishes of all provinces participating in the festival will be held.

A traditional house with 24 pillars of the Tày from Thái Nguyên will be on display at the exhibition. The house belongs to a Tày family. On the occasion, they will attend the festival and speak with visitors, telling them about their life in the house.

A Tày house has a nine-step staircase, nine being a lucky number to ensure the boys and girls of the family get married. The house’s owner greets guests at the foot of the stairs and walks behind guests on the stairs to protect them. — VNS