Highlights of the Hang Bua Festival

(Baonghean) - The Hang Bua Festival is a traditional festival of the ethnic minorities in Quy Chau district in particular and the Northwest region of Nghe An in general, aiming to commemorate the contributions of those who pioneered and established the villages; it is held from the 20th to the 22nd day of the first lunar month every year.

The festival is deeply rooted in the cultural identity of the Thai ethnic group, featuring many traditional folk cultural activities of the mountain dwellers. In recent years, the Hang Bua festival has been organized on an increasingly larger scale...

Hang Bua (Tham Bua) is located in the Pha En mountain range, in Hong Tien 2 village, Chau Tien commune, Quy Chau district. It is a historical site and scenic spot with a long history, closely associated with the formation of the Thai ethnic minority villages in the Chieng Ngam area in particular and Quy Chau in general.

Under the sculpting hand of nature, Hang Bua boasts countless stalactites and stalagmites forming shapes like rice paddy fields, gong ensembles, a princess's bed, a water basin, large and small rice paddies, and several human figures. Folklore recounts that long ago, a princess and the people of Phu Quy sought refuge in the cave to escape a battle between the mountain god and the water god, and were turned into stone. In that legendary battle, the mountain god emerged victorious and protected the people. To commemorate the mountain god's benevolence, every spring, people from the surrounding area gather here to offer sacrifices and pray for favorable weather.

Hang Bua Festival 2016. Archival photo.

Today, the Hang Bua Festival is held annually, aiming to promote the traditional cultural values ​​of the ethnic groups in the Northwest region of Nghe An province in general and the ethnic groups of Quy Chau district in particular; to satisfy the people's need for cultural enjoyment and exchange between regions; to create recreational activities for people to participate in, and to meet the sightseeing needs of tourists.

The festival is organized according to the customs of the Thai ethnic group, always ensuring solemnity, safety, and economy; mobilizing a large number of people from all walks of life to participate and contribute according to the principle of socialization. Visiting Hang Bua during the festival, tens of thousands of tourists have been able to admire the poetic beauty and truly experience the customs and unique cultural values ​​of the people who have lived and are living in this land through spiritual activities and distinctive cultural activities that are traditional and unique to the Thai people, such as folk songs, folk music, folk dances, sports, folk games, and cuisine…

According to ancient legends, Hang Bua is also associated with the faithful love story between the beautiful and talented singer Ni and the kind and honest Ban. Therefore, every spring, young men and women in the area gather in the cave to confide in each other and pray for good fortune and happiness in their relationships. It is impossible to verify when the Hang Bua festival originated, but it is known that in 1937, King Bao Dai visited the area from the former capital of Hue to enjoy the spring festivities and attend the festival.

For quite a long time, the Hang Bua Festival was not held. In 1996, the Hang Bua Festival was restored. In 1997, Hang Bua was recognized by the Ministry of Culture and Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) as a "National Historical Monument and Scenic Landscape". Since then, the Hang Bua Festival has been held annually on a regional scale, encompassing the districts of Quy Chau, Que Phong, Nghia Dan, Quy Hop, and Tan Ky. And in 2006, according to the state management hierarchy, the Hang Bua Festival was organized on a district-level scale.

Hang Bua (Quy Chau). Archival photo.

To further enhance the value of the Hang Bua Festival, in recent years, Quy Chau district has continuously invested in and upgraded various facilities both inside and outside the festival area, such as: constructing a new Chieng Ngam Temple, renovating the stage, lighting system, clean water supply, auxiliary sanitation facilities, and planting trees to create a scenic landscape and provide shade. The Chieng Ngam Temple is located in Hong Tien 2 village, Chau Tien commune (the temple was built to worship three tutelary deities, the three brothers Xieu Bo, Xieu Ke, and Xieu Luong, who contributed to the founding and establishment of the Chieng Ngam village in Phu Quy). Since 1945, the Chieng Ngam Temple has been damaged and is now in ruins. In 2005, the Chieng Ngam Temple was restored on the site of the old temple. After more than 10 years of use, the temple has again deteriorated and fallen into disrepair. With the approval of the Provincial People's Committee for investment in upgrading, the temple was newly constructed according to the plan and completed and put into use on January 19, 2017.

The 2017 Hang Bua Festival was organized by the People's Committee of Quy Chau District. The festival took place from February 16th to 18th, 2017 (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, corresponding to the 20th, 21st, and 22nd days of the first lunar month). The festival consisted of two parts: a spiritual ceremony and a festive event. The ceremonial part included the opening ceremony, the announcement ceremony, the grand sacrifice ceremony, and the thanksgiving ceremony. The festive part included a welcoming cultural program, the opening ceremony, and various activities: a cultural performance competition; a performance of the Thai ethnic group's cultural preservation club; a culinary culture competition; a rice wine making competition; a bamboo pole dance and furrow carving competition; a silk spinning, embroidery, and weaving competition; a cultural and culinary product display; incense making; a performance of the Xang Khan ritual; a Hang Bua beauty contest; a Thai script writing competition; and a beautiful campsite competition. The festival features competitions in men's and women's volleyball, crossbow shooting, stick pushing, stilt walking, tug-of-war, throwing the ball, and traditional folk games. These activities, rich in cultural identity, are all showcased at the festival.

Activities showcasing rich traditional culture at the Hang Bua Festival. Photo: Dang Nguyen

At this year's Hang Bua Festival, visitors can not only immerse themselves in the joyful and vibrant atmosphere of the highland people, but also visit the scenic spots of Quy Chau such as Tham Om, Tham Chang, Ton That Cave, Tat Ngoi Waterfall, Dua Waterfall, the historical site of General Lang Van Thiet, climb Pha Xang Mountain, visit the Museum of Ethnic Cultures of Quy Chau District, and especially participate in community tourism in Hoa Tien ancient Thai village, Chau Tien commune. In 2016, Hoa Tien village welcomed 31 tour groups, including 46 foreign visitors participating in community tourism, from the United States, Switzerland, China, the Netherlands, Australia, Malaysia, and Taiwan...

Organizing the Hang Bua Festival well and developing the Hoa Tien community tourism village is also one of the contents of the "Program for the development of culture, information, sports and tourism associated with the preservation of traditional culture in Quy Chau district, giai đoạn 2016 - 2020" issued by the Standing Committee of the Quy Chau District Party Committee; with the overall goal being: "To create a fundamental change in improving the quality of organizing cultural, information, sports and tourism activities, making the program increasingly effective, contributing to the successful achievement of the socio-economic goals of Quy Chau district in the period 2016 - 2020".

To achieve this goal, Quy Chau district has been implementing tasks and solutions such as: protecting historical relics and scenic spots; maintaining the activities of Thai cultural clubs, opening classes to popularize the Thai script and traditional musical instruments; organizing art performances by Thai cultural preservation clubs; organizing the Hang Bua Festival; developing new tourism products through the "Transforming heritage into tourism products" program...

Quỳ Châu District is determined to organize the Hang Bua Festival well, aiming to educate the people about love for their homeland and country, creating a joyful and enthusiastic atmosphere from the beginning of the year, so that all citizens will enthusiastically compete in labor and production, contributing to the successful achievement of the goals and tasks of socio-economic development, national defense, and security of the locality.

Le Thanh Ha