Independence Day hear stories about establishing Muong

Western Nghe An village. Photo: Dinh Tuan

For the people of the highlands, the National Day on September 2nd every year is a joyful festival. The locals still call this day “Independence Day”.

In previous years, whenever this day came, many villages were as happy as a festival. In districts such as Quy Chau, Que Phong, Ky Son, etc., people also organized small festivals at the village level. In some places, there were also ceremonies to call the spirits and tie strings around children's wrists to pray for their health and hope that they would do better in the new school year. These were additions to suit the current trends of each place.

This 2021 Independence Day is more special because of the Covid-19 outbreak and prolonged period; many localities in the whole province, including the highland districts, are implementing Directives 15 and 16 of the Prime Minister. Therefore, the organization of festivals like many years ago had to stop. And the same thing happened in Hoa Tien village, Chau Tien commune (Quy Chau). The village was also decorated with red flags with yellow stars and hammer and sickle flags, but still lacked the real atmosphere of a big festival. The pace of life here was still calm and slow as usual. In the morning before Independence Day, women still carried baskets to the riverbank to pick mulberries. Old men with canes slowly strolled in the village.

Thai woman in Western Nghe An. Photo: Hai Vuong

Although he has passed the age of 85 and his limbs are weak, Mr. Sam Van Kiem is still very clear-headed when it comes to remembering folk songs, stories about establishing villages and muongs... He often goes to his neighbor's house to drink tea every morning. Thanks to that, many people can hear many stories about establishing muongs and stories about the August Revolution as well as Independence Day. Mr. Kiem is considered the "warehouse" of stories in Hoa Tien village. I went to see him on Independence Day. He said: "Let's keep our distance and talk."

Mr. Sam Kiem tells the story of establishing Muong and the August Revolution in Quy Chau land. Photo: Huu Vi

I asked him about the establishment of the Muong and the early days of the August Revolution that took place here. He began with a few folk poems about the Muong that have been passed down for a long time, saying that Chau Tien and Chau Binh communes (Quy Chau) used to belong to Chieng Ngam Muong. The Lo Cam family was later called the Sam family. It is said that the family had 17 generations of officials serving as Quy Chau district governors. In Hoa Tien alone, the Sam family had 3 people serving as district governors. Mr. Sam Vien was the last district governor. According to the folk story told by Mr. Sam Kiem, the Lo family came from Ca Da Muong in the West of Thanh Hoa province. They then migrated to Que Phong district. This was the first stop in Nghe An. Over hundreds of years, this family migrated throughout Quy Chau district. A part went to Chieng Ngam Muong, a few others went to Muong Choong, now in Quy Hop district. And now the Sam family (Lo Cam) has spread to many places. There are people who live far away in France, America...

Harvest season in Western Nghe An. Photo: Hai Vuong

“Chieng Ngam” means a beautiful, peaceful land. A place where birds nest in good land is a dream of humankind. Since the time of the resistance war against the French, which was the childhood years of Mr. Sam Kiem, people in this land had the profession of growing mulberry and raising silkworms. In the village, except for a few families from the lowlands who came to work and lived in mud-walled houses and houses built in French architecture by the mandarins, all the local people lived in stilt houses.

Portrait of Mr. Sam Van Vien - the last district chief of Quy Chau district and his wife. Photo: Huu Vi

Every autumn, when the rice has been harvested and brought home until the end of the year, it is festival season. When the mandarin is free from public work, he also comes to celebrate with the villagers. When he returns to the village, he also observes etiquette. In family relationships, the mandarin is often the younger brother or the child of many people in the village. When meeting a superior, the mandarin must also bow.

Then the August Revolution broke out. Mr. Kiem recalled that he was nearly 10 years old at that time. At that time, the seizure of power in his hometown took place at the government office, now Tan Lac town (Quy Chau). He still remembered that at that time, people came to plant the red flag with a yellow star on the roof of the government office in the village. So from now on, the revolution had won. The people were in control. There was no more government office, only the revolutionary government.

Stilt houses in the ancient Thai village of Muong Dan, Hanh Dich commune, Que Phong district (Nghe An). Photo: Duc Anh

From then on, Independence Day was born. Every year, in addition to the "Cam Pha" ceremony in the 8th lunar month and the "Pu Xua" ceremony in the 9th month, people also slaughter chickens to celebrate National Day. It is also a big festival to remember the day the country had a government. On the morning of National Day, although he could not gather with the village to celebrate, Mr. Sam Kiem still had his children and grandchildren slaughter chickens to worship their ancestors. On Independence Day, a spiritual ceremony to remember the origin is indispensable.