Many new features in the Khau Vai Love Market Festival week.
The 2014 Khau Vai Love Market Festival and Culture Week will take place over three days, from April 24-26, in Khau Vai commune, Meo Vac district, Ha Giang province.
This year's festival is organized by the People's Committee of Meo Vac District (Ha Giang Province), the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union, in coordination with the Vietnam Youth Union of Ha Giang Province.
Introducing the new features of the festival, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Meo Vac District, Tran Kim Ngoc, said that this is the first time the legendary love story of Khau Vai has been recreated in the form of Cai Luong opera performed by the Vietnam Cai Luong Theatre on the opening night of the Culture and Tourism Week (April 24).
This year also marks the first time the festival has organized the "Beauty of the Rocky Plateau" contest for young women of ethnic minorities who are permanent residents of Ha Giang province.
On the final night (April 25th), 27 contestants selected from the preliminary round will showcase their national costumes, talents, and Q&A skills. The competition organizers will award one first prize, two second prizes, and three third prizes.
Mr. Ngoc added that, in order to contribute to preserving traditional beauty, the festival organizers have focused on organizing experiential activities for visitors.
During the festival, visitors can explore the market and experience linen weaving techniques; make Hmong flutes, weave baskets, and embroider brocade with artisans from Khau Vai commune; and experience "Riding horses to the love market" at the Khau Vai commune entrance gate.
According to Vuong Ngoc Ha, Secretary of the Provincial Youth Union and President of the Vietnam Youth Union of Ha Giang province: To support the organization of the festival, the Provincial Youth Union and the Vietnam Youth Union of Ha Giang will establish volunteer youth teams to ensure traffic safety and order, and volunteer youth teams to assist tourists throughout the festival.
Mr. Nguyen Phi Long, Permanent Vice President of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union, said that on this occasion, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union organized the inauguration of a boarding house for children at Khau Vai Ethnic Boarding Primary School. This is the third boarding house for children to be inaugurated in the northern mountainous provinces.
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At the inauguration ceremony, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union, along with various organizations and businesses, will award scholarships to underprivileged students who excel in their studies; and present gifts to the teachers and students of the school…
The festival also features many other interesting activities such as: bullfighting, nightingale bird fighting, and horse racing in Meo Vac town; exploring folk culture (call-and-response singing, love songs) at the Khau Vai "Love Market" area; offering incense at the Ông and Bà temples; culinary exchanges; folk art performances; and a reenactment of the Drum Dance Festival of the Giay ethnic group...
The workshop "Ha Giang Youth Participating in the Preservation and Promotion of Cultural Values in the Stone Plateau Region" was also held within the framework of the festival.
The Khau Vai Love Market has existed for nearly 100 years, held once a year on the 27th day of the third lunar month. It's primarily for those who have experienced troubled love affairs, who truly loved each other but for some reason couldn't marry, and who now each have their own separate destinies. On this day, they arrange to meet here to confide in each other, share updates on their lives, and reminisce about their past feelings...
With its profound humanitarian significance, the festival has been organized with great attention by Ha Giang province and Meo Vac district over the years, meeting the cultural and spiritual needs of a large number of ethnic people in the locality.
According to Dulich.vn
