Society

Go to Pu Nha Thau Temple Festival to see boys and girls throw con, throw pao, and show off their crossbow shooting skills.

Dao Tho • DNUM_CBZACZCACF 15:29

Pu Nha Thau Temple Festival (Huu Kiem Commune, Ky Son District) annually attracts thousands of visitors from inside and outside the district. Coming here, visitors can immerse themselves in folk games imbued with the identity of ethnic minorities in the highlands such as throwing con, throwing pao, and shooting crossbows.

bna_1(1).jpg — Pu Nha Thau Temple Festival is held on January 23-25 (lunar calendar) every year to commemorate the Holy Mother of the Upper Realm and General Doan Nhu Hai of the Tran Dynasty, who contributed to protecting the country's southwestern border. The festival is also a time for ethnic minorities in Ky Son district to celebrate the Spring Festival and pray for a year of favorable weather and bountiful harvests. Photo: Dao Tho

bna_2(2).jpg — At the festival, many exciting activities took place. Among them, there were indispensable folk games of the Thai, Mong, and Kho Mu people such as pao throwing, con throwing, crossbow shooting, etc. Photo: Dao Tho

bna_3(1).jpg — Pao fruits in the hands of Mong men and women are a way for them to express their feelings and love for each other in the first days of Spring. Photo: Dao Tho

bna_4(1).jpg — For Thai boys and girls, throwing a ball is an exciting and thrilling game. Photo: Dao Tho

bna_5(1).jpg — The balls were thrown into the circle, making the audience cheer and applaud the players' skill. Photo: Dao Tho

As ethnic minorities in the Nghe An highlands are traditionally associated with hunting, crossbow shooting is a familiar game for both men and women. Photo: Dao Tho

Thai, Mong, and Kho Mu marksmen show off their skills by hitting the bull's eye from a distance of dozens of meters. Photo: Dao Tho

Games that demonstrate strength and endurance also attract a large number of players and supporters, creating a vibrant atmosphere for the festival. Photo: Dao Tho

Barefoot highland boys demonstrate their strength in pole pushing. Photo: Dao Tho

Women and mothers join in bamboo dancing, gong playing, and carving beds to celebrate the first day of spring and pray for a peaceful new year. Photo: Dao Tho

Pu Nha Thau Temple Festival in 2025 is an opportunity for ethnic people in the mountainous district of Ky Son to gather and demonstrate the unique traditional cultural features of ethnic people in the western region of Nghe An. Photo: Dao Tho

Dao Tho