Spring comes to Pha Khao village

(Baonghean.vn) - When plum, apricot and peach blossoms compete to bloom on the mountainside, it is the time when Mong people in Mai Son commune (Tuong Duong district) eagerly celebrate Tet. This year, the people are happier when the authorities at all levels care, share and organize many spring activities in the village.

Located high in the middle of the vast Western Nghe An region, when apricot and plum blossoms bloom white in the forest, when fog covers the entire village, that is when the Mong people eagerly await the return of spring, the return of the New Year.

The first thing is that people prepare Banh Day, a traditional cake that is indispensable during Tet of the nation. The atmosphere is more bustling when the sound of pounding cakes comes from wooden mortars. Banh Day is made from sticky rice, cooked in a wooden steamer carved from a tree trunk, the cooked sticky rice is poured into the mortar while it is still hot. The pounding of cakes is done by strong young men. This is also the occasion for the boys to show off their skills to the girls. When the sticky rice is soft and sticky into a block, the women skillfully mold it into beautiful, round cakes like the moon and sun in ancient stories into wild dong leaves. After the cakes are baked, the wedding offerings are fully prepared, the most prestigious shaman in the village is solemnly invited to each household to perform the ceremony to invite the ancestors to celebrate Tet with the family.

Watch crossbow shooting competition on Tet holiday.

Old Man Nhia Nu (a prestigious shaman in the village), excitedly held my hand and said: "The old year passes, the new year comes, we often pray to the earth and heaven, pray to our ancestors to bless us with favorable weather, for our children and grandchildren, for our villagers to prosper, for houses full of rice, warehouses full of corn and cassava, and pens full of pigs and chickens."

Spring brings with it dew drops fluttering on the grass and trees. With an altitude of more than 1000m above sea level, the cold of Pha Khao mountain forest seems to penetrate into every fiber of the body but does not make the villagers afraid to go out on the street, they eagerly dress up in their most beautiful costumes to celebrate Tet. Right after the sound of the Khen sounds, signaling the arrival of a new spring, they gather in the village center to celebrate spring. Special art performances, traditional folk games imbued with national identity, such as throwing pao, cockfighting, crossbow shooting, Khen dancing... have brought many emotions to everyone. Old Man Chu Tho (the best Mong Khen dancer in the village) shared: When Tet comes, spring comes, we have the opportunity to dance Khen tunes for our people to see, the Khen sound of our people is the signal for a new year with many promises.

Fun entertainment



Village boys before cockfighting festival

Today, during the traditional Vietnamese New Year, the people of Pha Khao village with spring activities imbued with national identity, with joyful and healthy folk games have created a warm spring for the people. These days, not only in Pha Khao village but also in all the villages in the mountainous district of Tuong Duong, another warm spring has returned to the people. A warm New Year with all the colors of national culture, as if adding to the beauty of the southwestern border region of Nghe An.

May Huyen - Dinh Ty