Lesson 5: Muong Choong

(Baonghean) - Located between Muong Qua and Muong Chieng Ngam, Muong Choong is one of the large Muongs in the western region of Nghe An. Muong Choong stretches from Chau Ly commune to Bac Son, Nam Son and part of Chau Dinh commune, Quy Hop district today...

History has proven that the land of Muong Choong played a very special role in the Lam Son Uprising (1418-1427). This land was where the insurgents stopped to recruit soldiers and collect provisions for the series of battles against the Ming army in Western Nghe An. For generations, the people of Muong Choong have told their descendants about the story of establishing the village, that "Choong" in Thai means respecting people and being hospitable. During their stay here, moved by the hospitality and contributions of the villagers, the Lam Son insurgents named this land Muong Choong. Stories about patriotism and love for the village such as "The Story of Father Lap, Father Loi", "The Story of Nang Phom Hom", "The Story of Pu Canh Ve"... have been passed down for hundreds of years, deeply engraved in the hearts of the people of Muong Choong.

Not only remaining with the place name and stories, in Muong Choong there is also a sacred temple related to this special historical period. That is Choong temple, located on the top of Pu Den mountain - the center of Muong. The temple worships Nang Phom Hom - a fragrant-haired girl, a Thai ethnic girl who had great merit in collecting food to feed the army, helping Lam Son insurgents fight the enemy. The research process shows that Choong temple has a great influence on the cultural life of the land and people of Muong Choong. Since ancient times, Muong Choong people have assigned the Vi family to take care of the ceremonies at Choong temple, while the Luong family is responsible for protection, and the Lo family is responsible for preparing offerings...

Two hundred-year-old ebony trees in the center of Choong village.

The residents of Muong Choong are mainly Thai ethnic people, living along the Nam Choong River and its tributaries. What is special is that there are many villages where only one family resides, such as Vi village in Bac Son, where only one Vi family lives, and Hieng village (Bac Son) where for generations only one Luong family has lived together. Since 1968, Muong Choong has had more Kinh households from Hung Nguyen and Nghi Loc come to settle down and build a new economy. However, the cultural exchange between the two ethnic groups Kinh and Thai has existed for a long time, for example, the ceremonies at Choong temple are all in Kinh language.

In the past, Muong Choong had two main festivals every year: the Luc Ngoat Festival and the New Year's Eve Festival. The Luc Ngoat Festival was held on the 15th and 16th of the 6th lunar month. From 2 pm on the 15th of the 6th lunar month, the procession of the palanquin began from the main temple, across the Nam Choong River, down to Muong Choong communal house (Muong Choong communal house no longer exists, the old communal house was located next to the old ebony trees at the end of Choong village today). Local dignitaries, Muong Choong people, and visitors from all over participated in the procession. At 9 am on the 16th of the 6th lunar month, everyone organized a procession to Choong temple in a solemn atmosphere. The main and assistant priests performed the ceremony at Choong temple, praying for favorable weather, peace in the village, and good crops. Pray for those in positions of authority to have a bright mind and the strength to take care of village and town affairs, for the villagers to have good health, to make a lot of money, and for their children to succeed in their studies...

The New Year's Eve ceremony is held at Choong Temple on the 25th day of the 12th lunar month every year. Unlike the Luc Ngoat Ceremony, the New Year's Eve ceremony does not organize a procession of the palanquin back to the communal house, nor does it involve the slaughter of buffalo. The offerings for the New Year's Eve ceremony are dishes made from fish, meat, chicken eggs and indispensable products such as sticky rice cakes, uncooked sticky rice cakes poured into molds made from short bamboo tubes, then placed on jackfruit leaves to form even round cakes and offered to the altar.

The geographical location of Muong Choong plays a very special role in the Western Nghe An region. If in history, Muong Choong was the stopover of Lam Son insurgents on the journey to liberate the West, today, Muong Choong is the area where National Highway 48C passes through, running along the Nam Choong River, along the entire length of the Muong, connecting Muong Chieng Ngam, Muong Khun Tinh with Muong Qua, Muong Long... In history, the people of the two ethnic groups Kinh and Thai have fought side by side against foreign invaders. Today, that tradition is being nurtured, creating the character and personality of Muong Choong: passionately loving the Muong, the beautiful country; industrious, hard-working, respectful of people, hospitable and simple and sincere like rice grains and potatoes.

Despite the integration, the people of Muong Choong always know how to separate the bad from the good, preserving the cultural beauty of the Muong that has been passed down for generations. Through the survey, it is shown that Muong Choong is a "clean" area in terms of drugs. Currently, no people in Chau Ly, Nam Son, Bac Son communes have been found to buy, sell, store or use drugs. The majority of Thai people in Muong Choong are still maintaining the traditional stilt houses, areas such as Vi village (Bac Son), Choong village (Chau Ly), Quang village (Nam Son) ... are known as "the land of stilt houses". Besides the cultural identity of each ethnic group, the cultural exchange between the two ethnic groups Kinh and Thai has also been taking shape, creating valuable cultural beauty in this land!

Cao Duy Thai