Legend of Nam Hat

(Baonghean) - This land is not only about lush green rice fields. Hidden behind the stilt houses and Pha Xang mountain range is the legend of the establishment of villages and the construction of Muong.The festival season is over, the village on the right bank of the Nam Hat River enters a new working season.

Women of Chau Tien commune (Quy Chau) returning from visiting the fields. Photo: Archive

These days, Phu Quy land has returned to its usual quietness. The festival season has passed, the land has a different color, the color of young rice seedlings on the spacious rice fields. Somewhere, the silhouettes of people visiting the fields and weeding the rice. The stooping figures of women add a little color to the monotonous picture of the rice fields.

It feels so refreshing to drive through the Bua Cave tourist spot, Chau Tien commune, along the Nam Hat River to Chau Binh commune, Quy Chau district. Nam Hat is a tributary of the Hieu River, converging with the Nam Ton River at Chau Tien commune to form the land of Chieng Ngam.

Chieng Ngam is one of many Thai Muong in the Western region of Nghe An. This land has 2 festivals. The Bua Cave Festival in Chau Tien commune takes place at the end of January every year.

A smaller festival takes place every two years under the mountain on the right bank of the Nam Hat River - Pha Xang Mountain in Xang 2 village, Chau Binh commune. The festival takes place after the Bua cave festival, in the second lunar month. The festival is attended not only by the people of Xang 2 village, but also by all 5 villages on the right bank in Chau Binh commune. People from Chau Tien and Chau Thuan communes also come to join in the fun.

"The scale is small, the number of participants is not as large as the big festivals, but that does not mean the joy is small" - Mr. Lang Van Thang, Head of Xang 2 village once whispered to me. "But if you want to see the festival, you have to wait until next year. Last year the village held the festival" - the village official did not forget to remind.

A cultural activity in the 2016 Festival of Visiting Ngun - Pha Xang Mountain in Chau Binh (Quy Chau). Photo courtesy

Nevertheless, I still decided to return to Ban Xang 2 on the last sunny day before the northeast monsoon arrived. Crossing the aqueduct connecting the two banks of the Nam Hat River, passing through another rice field, I reached the most densely populated area on the right bank. Rows of ancient stilt houses lined up at the foot of the mountain looked very poetic. The terrain leaning against the mountain and facing the river made this mountainous area seem close to the living philosophy of the people of the plains.

Interspersed with the ancient-style stilt houses are level-four houses. However, most of the houses in the village still retain the stilt house architecture with an adjacent garden. In the garden, along the fence, there are areca trees, betel trees, fruit trees and some vegetables still used in the daily meals of the residents here.

Road to Pha Xang 2 village, Chau Binh commune (Quy Chau). Photo: Huu Vi

Still the clever village chief Lang Van Thang opened the door of his spacious house like a villa to welcome me: "The festival season is over. Now let's focus on business." The 35-year-old man who has been the village chief for 10 consecutive years shared: Although they are from the mountains, the vast majority of the villagers are farmers. The village has 112 households, more than 500 mouths to feed, each person has 300m² Wet rice fields. Knowing how to apply new production techniques and varieties, people do not have to worry about not having enough rice to eat. With rice, full stomachs, people can think about getting rich. In the village, there are over 30 well-off households. Although there are no rich households yet, it can be an encouraging thing for a highland village.

Being a fairly dynamic community, the main source of income for the villagers is not from rice. Many well-off households remember to do business in grocery stores and local products such as brocade, vegetables grown in their home gardens, on the riverbank, sour pork... During the festival season, while people are having fun, it is also a business opportunity for the households in the village. Life here has largely followed the commercial trend. This is also an inevitable part of development. The good news is that this place still preserves its traditional local values.

The village has a Thai cultural identity preservation club with 38 members. Once a month on the 15th of the solar calendar, the members sit together and sing xuoi and nhuon, Thai folk songs. Some practice writing Thai characters so as not to forget them. The old men playing the flute and the old women singing nhuon are a beautiful image on quiet nights in the small village.

Mrs. Sam Thi Khiem is an active member of the club. She does not have a smooth singing voice like the folk artists, but she is a treasure trove of stories about the Muong village. In her stilt house with a large garden, the old lady often tells visitors about the Lang family who came to establish the village 200 years ago. This family currently accounts for nearly 80% of the village's population. They originally came from the western part of Thanh Hoa province. From here, this family has spread to many areas in the western part of Nghe An.

There are also half-true, half-fictional stories about Nang Don about the Lang family. She was a beautiful girl with skin as white as a peeled egg, and was gentle and kind. The son of the dragon king, the dragon in the Nam Hat river, heard about her and immediately transformed into a handsome young man to "get to know her". Later, people had to take Nang Don to the mountain to hide from the dragon's pursuit. Then Nang Don turned into stone - a beautiful stalactite on the side of Pha Xang mountain. During the Tham Co Ngon festival, young men and women of the village often climb Pha Xang mountain to admire the beautiful face of the ill-fated girl who turned into stone.

Rice fields in Ban Xang 2. Photo: Huu Vi

Mr. Lang Van Thang said: The preservation of indigenous cultural identity is also supported by young people in the village, especially the Thai script heritage. Among them, two people are Lang Tuan Cong and Lang Thi Kieu Nga. These two young people are currently becoming active factors in popularizing Thai script in the community.

After the festival season is the rice weeding season. That is the spring rhythm of life along the Nam Hat River. Village chief Lang Van Thang said: Life now is not yet full, but it can be said that the village is peaceful, with few social evils, and people are enthusiastic about doing business. Getting rich requires a breakthrough in the way of thinking and doing of each person and needs a chance.

On the riverside fields on the right bank of the Nam Hat River, people are still seen going down to the fields. People are taking advantage of the opportunity to weed their fields to avoid the cold that is about to come. The festival season has passed, and the village is entering a new working season./.

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