Border Spring
In the villages located halfway up the mountain and at the foot of the Truong Son range (through Ky Son district, Nghe An), people have welcomed a new spring with many changes.
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| Boys and girls meet |
Old Tet...
The night we stayed in Nam Can (a commune bordering Vietnam and Laos) the temperature dropped to 00C. My colleague and I only had a few belongings, tools and an old Win motorbike on our trip. The starting point was no longer Vinh City, 300km from Muong Xen, but from the foot of the mountain range.
Truong Son through Nam Can border gate. The first destination is Pha Danh commune, where most of the Kho Mu ethnic people live, famous for black chicken or also known as black chicken - a culinary specialty of Ky Son. Along the Truong Son border road, peach and plum flowers bloom white all over the mountains and forests. Entering the territory of Huoi Tu commune (where a Youth Volunteer Corps has just been established), most of the Mong people live. Thanks to the Youth Volunteer Corps, the people have begun to know how to plant forests and garden, creating a lot of vegetables, fruits and food. Through the Corps, Huoi Tu market is considered the center of the commune. The year-end market is crowded, people flock here not only to buy and sell goods but also to attend the festival. In addition to the colorful clothes of Mong men and women, the market also sells all kinds of brocade made by the people themselves. Ms. Vu Y Zenh - a brocade seller said: Her family makes brocade all year round, only selling it at the end of the year market (Tet market).
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| Going to Tet market in Huoi Tu |
During Tet, Muong Long village is even more bustling than Huoi Tu. Village elder Ho Ba Chu in Muong Long 2 village recounted: In the past, Mong people in general, and Mong people in Muong Long in particular, mostly celebrated Mong New Year (equivalent to December 10 to 20 of the solar calendar). The traditional New Year lasted for many days, people throughout the village celebrated with fun and feasting, some years lasting nearly 20 days. Schools were empty of students, and people working far away also returned home to celebrate Tet. Village elder Ho Ba Chu added: In the past, every time Mong New Year came, every family competed to slaughter a pig, no matter how poor they were, they would find a pig, in addition to a few kilos of sticky rice, fruits, cakes and the indispensable thing was a few dozen liters of wine... Every village organized folk games such as throwing con, buffalo fighting, bull fighting, cock fighting... and the game lasted for nearly 20 days. From Huoi Tu to Muong Long and even to some areas along the border of Laos, everyone celebrates the same Tet. After the Mong Tet, not long after, they continue to celebrate the traditional Tet of the Vietnamese people. After the Tet, many poor families are left with a debt. In recent years, our Party and State have promoted and mobilized people to join the Mong Tet in the Lunar New Year to share the joy of spring with the nation, so the old Mong Tet is still beautiful and joyful with many innovations.
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| Mong children on Tet holiday |
New Spring
Along the Truong Son trail, the Mong, Thai, Kho Mu villages... everywhere you can see the joyful atmosphere of Spring. It is worth noting that the people still preserve many valuable customs, traditions and cultures. Mr. Lau Giong Cai - Chairman of the People's Committee of Muong Long commune said: This place used to be considered the capital of opium, but today it is different. Muong Long no longer has opium trees, but instead there is a whole area of Tam Hoa plum forest and peach blossoms blooming white and pink all over the valley. This year, the people will celebrate Spring more happily than last year, because although the people's lives still face many difficulties, their food and clothing are now different from before. In Muong Long commune alone, nearly 100% of the population is Mong, with each family growing an average of nearly 1 hectare of Tam Hoa plums and peaches, not to mention rice, corn, cassava, vegetables, fruits... Here and there, people wear colorful costumes of the Mong, Thai, and Kho Mu ethnic groups, especially women with beautiful bright costumes like wild flowers...
Leaving the "capital of the Mong people", we continued to trek through the forest and wade through streams for a whole day to reach Xieng Tam village, the center of My Ly commune. Mr. Vi Van Ly - an official of the Party Committee of My Ly commune said: My Ly is a commune with 100% Thai ethnic households, many beautiful traditional cultural features here are being preserved by the people. When Tet comes, every year the village slaughters buffaloes and pigs and shares a little with each family. If a family has the means, they slaughter them at home, then invite the villagers to drink rice wine and happily dance Lam Vong. In My Ly commune alone, on the 30th of Tet, they slaughter a large pig or a fat calf to invite the village elders, village chiefs, veterans, and retired cadres to a drinking party to celebrate a year of labor and production and prepare for a new spring. Mr. Vi Van Mieng said: Some disadvantaged areas such as: Muong Long, Huoi Tu, Nam Can, Keng Du, Muong Ai, Muong Tip, Bao Nam, Bao Thang... are also supported by the State with lighting oil, food, provisions... to celebrate Tet. Tet in the border areas is still sparkling with the green shirts of border soldiers blending with the colors of the ethnic people to share the sweet joy of the festival days.
Phan Sang's diary
