The forest opening ceremony of the Muong people in Yen Lap district becomes a national intangible cultural heritage

On February 15, Yen Lap district held a ceremony to receive the national intangible cultural heritage “Social practices and beliefs of the forest opening ceremony of the Muong people in Yen Lap district” and opened the festival.

The forest opening ceremony is a typical and unique folk belief activity with rich historical value, associated with the settlement and development process of the Muong ethnic group, Minh Hoa commune, Yen Lap district. Regarding scientific value, the Forest Opening Ceremony reflects the Muong people’s awareness of the close relationship between forest, land and water, which are three necessary factors to ensure the life of each community. Through practicing rituals that educate children and grandchildren in the family, the family preserves and promotes unique cultural features, becoming the pride of the Muong people. The festival is held every year, becoming a major festival of the whole region. In November 2023, the social practices and beliefs of the forest opening ceremony of the Muong people in Yen Lap district were included in the List of National Intangible Cultural Heritages by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

At the ceremony, Mr. Ho Dai Dung - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee and leaders of the Department of Cultural Heritage, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism awarded the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Certificate “Social practices and beliefs of the forest opening ceremony of the Muong people in Yen Lap district” to representatives of the Yen Lap district leadership.

After the opening drum of the district leaders, the festival took place with two parts including the ceremony and the festival. The ceremony recreates the hunting of ancient hunting wards. Besides the sacrificial rituals, there is a bustling festival with folk music performances such as Coin Clapping dancing, Swing singing, rice pounding... and folk games such as tug of war, blindfolded catching ducks, volleyball...

Thu Ha