Spring comes to Huoi Moi peak

(Baonghean) -One day before Lunar New Year, following the members of the Youth Union of Que Phong District People's Committee, we set foot in Huoi Moi 1 village, Tri Le commune (Que Phong) and witnessed the joy of the Mong people in the border area. Spring is coming, people's hearts are cheerful, everything seems to be in harmony with a sacred beat...

Giving warm clothes to children in Huoi Moi 1

At the end of the year, work was busy, the streets were bustling, but when a friend informed us that the Que Phong District People's Committee Youth Union was organizing a gift-giving trip to Huoi Moi 1 village, we quickly packed our bags and went up the forest to the "Que land". Kim Son town was busier than usual. Tri Le highland market had peach blossoms on display, many of which had blossomed. Along with that, the specialties of black chicken, black pig, and taro were increasingly sold by the people. At this time in Bu Chong Cha, the fog was no longer thick, the bright sunshine had begun to warm the mountains and forests so that the trees could sprout and bloom. Passing through Ta Pan, Minh Chau, Cam and Don villages, we saw the Thai, Mong and Kho Mu people busily preparing for Tet. People were cleaning their houses and villages to welcome a truly joyful Tet.

The Que Phong District People's Committee's Youth Union has collected and mobilized benefactors to support 20 million VND. This amount of money was used to buy warm clothes, slippers, candy for students and some clothes for adults. The road to Huoi Moi 1 is still difficult and bumpy, so nearly 30 members of the Youth Union transported these gifts by motorbike. The road from Don village to Huoi Moi 1 is about 5km long, but it is impossible to count all the hardships and difficulties. What used to be a walking path has now been leveled and dug enough for one motorbike to pass. If a motorbike comes in the opposite direction, one of the two motorbikes must stop and move close to the edge to let the other motorbike pass before continuing the journey.

The convoy carrying Tet gifts followed a small road winding around the mountainside, with a high mountain on one side and a deep abyss on the other. Sitting behind, we were scared many times because the car jumped up as if it wanted to throw us to the ground. Ly Ba Cha - a cadre of the Tri Le Commune Front, was considered a "local god" so he took on the task of leading the way and transporting journalists. Cha's house used to live in Huoi Moi 1, then moved to the Minh Chau resettlement area. Therefore, for him, the road to Huoi Moi 1 is the way home, Cha is familiar with all the slopes, bends, and streams. With his experience in forest roads, Cha required each member of the group to always keep a distance of 30-50m, in case when going uphill, they easily collide or lose momentum, making it difficult for the car to continue. Ly Ba Cha shared: "This is the dry season so traveling is easy. But in the rainy season, the road is slippery and muddy, sometimes the car won't listen to us."

After more than an hour of struggling with the "iron horse" on the steep and dangerous mountain pass, we reached the top of a high mountain. Looking down from here, the center of Tri Le commune looked like a colorful painting, in which the green of the mountains and forests and the village was the main color. The terraced fields were full of water, waiting for the day when farmers would plant. After about 10 minutes, Huoi Moi 1 village appeared with its ancient sa mu tile roofs looming in the mountain mist. The peach gardens had begun to show off their colors, and the orchids had also opened their flower clusters. The people of Huoi Moi 1 came out to welcome the group from the beginning of the village with cheerful, excited smiles, and tight handshakes showing their closeness and affection.

Taking advantage of the time when everyone was out admiring peach blossoms and orchids, we chatted with the Party Secretary Va Ga Vu. It is known that Huoi Moi 1 has a total of 64 households with nearly 400 people. The village is located 3 km from the border, only 5 km from the Lao village. For generations, the Mong people in Huoi Moi 1 have been attached to the mountains and forests and slash-and-burn farming. In other words, the mountains and forests have fed the people of Huoi Moi 1. Recently, people have actively reclaimed 33 hectares of rice fields, contributing to increasing food sources, and hunger is gradually being pushed back. Thanks to that, people can live in peace, and there is no longer a situation of free migration.

The Mong people in Huoi Moi 1 still preserve the beauty of traditional culture. This is first shown through the architecture of the houses. 100% of the houses, including primary schools, kindergartens and border stations here, are roofed and hung with sa mu planks. And the fences separating each house are nothing more than sa mu planks. This is also understandable, because sa mu trees are quite abundant in the border mountains and forests. Moreover, the road to Huoi Moi 1 is very difficult and bumpy, so it is impossible to transport other raw materials to the village. Along with sa mu tile roofs, the Mong people here also preserve the melodious sound of the panpipe, the cu xia, lu tau and the Mong xoe melodies. All members of the village have traditional costumes to wear on holidays.

Boys and girls of Huoi Moi 1 village sing to celebrate Spring

To welcome the Year of the Horse, most families have prepared all the necessary things. From sticky rice and dong leaves to wrap cakes to chickens, pigs and new clothes for the children. In a few days, the village will organize a cake making contest, a pao throwing contest and a bull fighting contest. Secretary Va Ga Vu added that, like Mong people across the country, in the past, Mong people in Huoi Moi 1 celebrated Tet around December, when the crops were harvested and the rice was in the barn. Recently, following the Party and State's call, Huoi Moi 1 people have celebrated Tet with the whole country. This demonstrates the spirit of solidarity and unity.

In the warm, bright sunshine, the ceremony of giving Tet gifts to students and people of Huoi Moi 1 began. First, the group gave warm clothes to preschoolers, then from grade 1 to grade 9. The young people who usually work with computers and process documents, now enthusiastically traveled a 40 km journey full of hardship and difficulty to directly choose and put on the best fitting clothes for the Mong children. Their eyes shone with joy and sharing. Mr. Luu Van Hung - Deputy Secretary of the Youth Union said: "Que Phong is a poor district, especially the villages along the border. The terrain is rugged, transportation is difficult, and the climate is harsh, so the lives of the people, especially the children, are always disadvantaged. Therefore, our Youth Union has unanimously mobilized members and benefactors to support so that people can have a warmer and happier Tet".

And member Nguyen Thuong Thuong shared: "Coming up here, seeing the innocent, carefree children who suffer many disadvantages compared to their peers in the central area, I was really moved. From then on, I wanted to do truly meaningful things to bring joy to them." And in the eyes of the children when they were dressed in a pretty warm coat, we read joy, excitement and gratitude. Just like the speech of the Secretary of the Party cell Va Ga Vu: "Thank you for your heart in the Youth Union, you have brought joy and warmth to the village. We are very happy, it feels like Spring in Huoi Moi 1 has come earlier...".

At noon, the mist and clouds cleared to give way to the sunlight. The young men and women of Huoi Moi 1 began to sing, sing and dance passionately. They wore colorful traditional costumes with many patterns and motifs showing the skillful hands of the weavers. The songs of the Mong girls were passionate, resonant and captivating. The sounds of the panpipes of the boys sometimes echoed far away, sometimes softly like the sounds of wild birds calling for their friends. Standing in the middle of the village with ancient sa mu houses, in the middle of the peach garden in full bloom, amidst the gentle singing and beside the energetic Mong girls, we seemed to have wandered into a Mong village on a big festival day. It was the Spring festival, the whole village was jubilant with singing, with the charming game of throwing pao and indispensable cup of warm wine. The singing called the wild birds to join in the fun, called the white butterflies to spread their wings next to the blooming peach buds, called the warmth to spread throughout the village. Here, people and nature have a close harmony, people's hearts and the earth and sky seem to share the same rhythm - that is the rhythm of Spring.

On the top of Huoi Moi, the wind had eased the cold, the stream through the village was cool, the scent of the forest began to spread, the music of the forest had begun to play and people's hearts were filled with joy. Suddenly, a young girl sang the song "Spring is coming to the Mong village" which was very appropriate, appropriate and fitting: "Look, the bright Spring is coming to the high mountains/ I raise my voice to the thousands of flowers to praise the joy of the mountain fields/ Peach blossoms are blooming, looking at the Spring is coming ale.../ The wind shuttle rhythmically carries the song/ The stream murmurs, the green rice fields are rustling/ Look, in the golden sunlight, the sound of trumpets and leaves is blowing/ The sound of thousands of birds singing, the fresh Spring is coming/ The flower branches flutter to welcome many songs/ The forest paths everywhere are fluttering/ Look, many wings are spreading out to play with the flowers/ The wind and thousands of birds are singing songs back and forth/ Ah! The bright Spring is coming again/ I sing ca pi na aa ai do a ai do". Next are the songs "Meeting in the Dream Forest", "H'Mong Girl"... with lively, cheerful melodies, reflecting the joy and excitement of Mong boys and girls when Spring comes.

Spring on Huoi Moi peak has its own rhythm and color that makes anyone who comes here feel excited and passionate. It is time for the group to leave Huoi Moi 1 to return. The road ahead is arduous, but no one shows any concern, because they have contributed to bringing new warmth to the people in the border area.

Cong Kien