Promoting cultural identity in celebrating the Spring Festival and welcoming the Lunar New Year.

(Baonghean) - With the Lunar New Year of the Goat approaching, the Department of Culture, Sports & Tourism has been organizing cultural, artistic, and sports activities to celebrate the Party and the Spring Festival, serving the people in enjoying the Spring and welcoming the New Year. Baonghean newspaper had an interview with Comrade Ho Mau Thanh, Provincial Party Committee member and Director of the Department of Culture, Sports & Tourism, regarding this matter.

PV:Tet (Lunar New Year) is always associated with festivals, cultural and artistic activities, and sports. To prepare for the people to celebrate the Spring Festival and welcome Tet, what policies has our province adopted and how are they being implemented so far, Comrade?

Comrade Ho Mau Thanh:Organizing a joyful, peaceful, economical, civilized, and cultured Tet holiday for the people is the responsibility of all levels, sectors, agencies, and units. The Department of Culture, in particular, has been assigned by the province to care for the spiritual well-being of the people and organize recreational activities for them. To effectively implement this, the Provincial People's Committee has issued Guidance No. 07. The content includes:

- Responsibilities of districts, communes, villages, and hamlets in organizing activities for the people to celebrate the Lunar New Year: Identify central locations for organizing New Year celebrations; focus on decorating, publicizing, and promoting a festive atmosphere to celebrate the Party and the New Year.

- Do a good job of visiting families entitled to preferential policies, fully implement policies and regulations for the poor, ensuring that everyone and every family can celebrate Tet peacefully and happily; organize cultural and artistic activities, sports and folk games for people to enjoy during Tet; ensure security and order and combat negative behaviors during Tet such as gambling, drinking, and firecrackers; organize well the celebration of longevity for the elderly, in conjunction with the Tet tree planting ceremony to forever remember Uncle Ho...

Swinging – a unique traditional game at the Lang Vac Village Festival. Photo: Sy Minh

PV:Recently, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in coordination with Tuong Duong district, successfully organized the "Spring Festival Night in Western Nghe An," which can be said to be a very unique activity to welcome Tet. Besides that, what other similar programs has the department organized, Comrade?

Comrade Ho Mau Thanh:The "Spring Festival of Western Nghe An" is an annual event aimed at honoring the cultural values ​​of the ethnic communities. Soon, we will be holding a New Year's Eve celebration at Ho Chi Minh Square, complete with fireworks. Currently, Vinh City has done a good job of promoting and publicizing the event through billboards, posters, banners, slogans, flower displays, and streetlights along all the main streets in the city. We will have activities such as the New Year's Eve celebration; a Spring Newspaper Fair; a Spring Flower Market; an exhibition of economic, cultural, and technological achievements at the Provincial Cultural Center; a poetry night; a gathering for foreigners working in Nghe An, overseas Vietnamese returning home for Tet, and meetings with investors... and folk games and cultural performances for the people at central locations in the city.

PV:In recent times, the sector has focused on organizing recreational activities for the people during Tet (Lunar New Year), however, traditional folk games during Tet are becoming increasingly rare. What are your thoughts on this issue?

Comrade Ho Mau Thanh:I believe that folk games vividly reflect the cultural identity of each rural area. Therefore, during the Spring Festival and Tet celebrations, localities should organize folk games to both preserve national cultural identity and contribute to enhancing community spirit and strengthening neighborly bonds. Currently, some localities have incorporated folk games into their New Year celebrations, such as: Vinh City organizing chess, human chess, and card games; mountainous districts holding swing games and throwing games; and other localities organizing rice cooking in clay pots, making rice cakes, and holding poetry nights…

PV:Visiting temples and pagodas is a spiritual and cultural tradition. However, some temples and pagodas today still exhibit commercialized aspects. So, in order for cultural activities to take place in a healthy manner, what solutions do you think are needed?

Comrade Ho Mau Thanh:Each year, our province hosts 25 festivals, taking place from the 6th day of the first lunar month until the end of spring. These are spiritual activities connected to traditional values ​​and education, and are an indispensable need for the people. However, over the years, the management of these festivals has been inadequate: security and order are not good; price gouging and unfair pricing of services and fees still occur; and the prevalence of beggars and superstitious practices has increased, making the festivals less attractive and lacking in wholesome practices.

To address this situation, at the festival review conference, relevant agencies clearly analyzed the shortcomings in festival management to rectify them; invited the management boards of 25 festivals to implement preparations for the 2015 festivals; issued guidelines on organizing festivals in 2015; assigned the inspection department to check the actual situation and guide the organization of festivals at the grassroots level; the inspection department, in coordination with the heritage department, must directly visit the sites to promptly correct any errors. Currently, some festivals have been decentralized in management, therefore, the principle of organizing the festival must be followed: the commune must organize the festival; the script must be reviewed by the district, and festivals organized by the district must be reviewed by the Department. For new festivals organized by the Department of Culture, the script must be approved by the Provincial People's Committee.

PV:During Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year), what special festivals in Nghe An attract a large number of tourists?

Comrade Ho Mau Thanh:Nghe An province has 25 festivals, but in my opinion, four are particularly impressive and attract visitors from all over. These are the Corn Temple Festival, the Ong Hoang Muoi Festival, the Bach Ma Temple Festival, and the Qua Son Temple Festival. Visitors from far and wide can come to these festivals to satisfy their spiritual needs!

PV:Thank you, comrade!

PV(Perform)