The mountainous region of Thanh Hoa is the long-standing residence of more than 1 million people, including more than 600,000 Mong, Dao, Kho Mu, Thai, Muong and Tho people. The Mong live in the highlands; the Kho Mu, Dao and Thai live in the middlelands; the Muong and Tho live in the lowlands.
The ethnic minorities in the mountainous areas of Thanh Hoa province are the owners of quite rich and unique folk cultural values. In the treasure trove of legends and folk tales, we encounter the Divine Tree like the Si tree in the mo De dat de nuoc of the Muong people, where the branches bend to form a village. Mu Da Dan, the goddess of creation, teaches the craft to nearby villages and distant Muongs. The system of giant characters such as: Mr. Thu Tha, Mrs. Thu Thien of the Muong people; Ai Lac Cac, Kham Panh... of the Thai people, who established extraordinary feats and miracles, created all things, taught farming methods, passed on crafts, drove out enemies to protect life...
Facing harsh nature and living environment, through the labor process, the people have drawn and accumulated many life experiences. Those lessons have been remembered and passed on by them through concise proverbs and idioms: Dig a well to drink/ Break the field to eat. Only listen to half of distant rumors. Don't speak harshly to each other/ Don't scold each other painfully/ There will still be times in life when we love each other again.
Folk knowledge, experience in production and behavior in life are also highly valued by ethnic people: Do not farm on grassy fields/ Do not farm on rocky areas. If you trip, do not blame the rocks/ It is only because you do not lift your feet high. When spitting, look at the floor/ When squatting, look at the edge of your skirt... Teaching how to treat diseases with herbal medicine, how to prevent and treat diseases according to the season.
For generations, ethnic people with their creativity and exquisite aesthetic sense have created many beautiful and famous embroidery products. Especially craft villages such as: Ban Lan, Ban Ban, Nang Cat, Ban Sang... (Thai ethnic group); Lu Khoen, Cao Ngoc, Tran Ha villages (Muong ethnic group); Ha Son, Pu Nhi, Cam Binh (Dao ethnic group); Pu Toong, Pu Nhi, Pom Puoi (Mong ethnic group)... are craft villages with many talented embroidery artisans. From raw materials such as silk, jute, hemp, dyes... natural products from the mountains and forests, through the skillful hands of women, women, girls and artisans, they have become durable and beautiful products with high artistic value. The brocades woven on the dresses of Muong, Thai, Mong, Dao women and the panels, pillows, cushions, scarves, and clothes of the bride and groom on their wedding day, especially the costumes of the Mo men and the May women, the costumes of the master of ceremonies in the Pon Pong, Tet Nhay, Kin gong booc May festivals; the ceremonies such as Cap Sac, Tet Nhay, Lam Via,... with all the colors and beautiful patterns are crystallized not only by the persistent, tireless, and patient labor but also demonstrate the creativity of the thinking and skillful hands of the ethnic people in the highlands. These products serve the daily life and are loved and favored by domestic and foreign tourists.
The Ma and Chu rivers not only bring cool water and fertile alluvium to rice fields and corn fields, but also resonate with soulful and affectionate songs, filled with deep affection for the land and people. Ethnic minorities have lived on both banks of the river reflecting the mountains for generations, with a unique and rich cultural and folk art heritage such as: Khap (Thai); Xuong rang, Bo meng (Muong); Pa dung (Dao); Tom singing (Khoi Mu); Gau Tao and Plenh melodies... passed down by previous generations to become unique lyrical folk songs of the Mong people... Love songs, ritual folk songs, antiphonal singing, lullabies... are lyrics that reflect the soul of the mountain people with many subtle, passionate and affectionate emotions.
Along with folk songs, the owners of the highlands also created folk dances that are no less rich and unique. The Thai people have fan dances, conical hat dances, bamboo dances, sword dances, Kin gong booc may performances, and Ca Sa dances. The Muong people have Pon poong dances. The Dao people have turtle hunting dances, cap sac ceremonies, bell dances, bowl dances, etc. The Mong people have umbrella dances, panpipe dances, etc. These types of folk singing and dancing of the ethnic groups are the basis for the formation and development of the nation's stage arts.
Regarding music, the Muong people have gongs and zithers. The Thai people have drums, gongs, and Khua luong (Khua luong with 12 luong melodies such as: Loong ton khắch (luong to welcome guests) cheerful and exciting; Loong pat, Loong xoong, Loong xam, Loong pac sac: celebrating a good harvest, pounding rice on a moonlit night). Along with the bustling luong khua, the Boong bu knocking sound, the gong sound depicting hunting, gathering, catching fish, trapping birds and animals..., the Mong people have leaf trumpets, lip trumpets, and panpipes. The Mong people also pass on the way of performing leaf trumpets when going to the fields, going to the market, visiting each other's houses... Anywhere and anytime, Mong boys and girls have leaves to play leaf trumpets. They teach each other how to blow, how to choose leaves, how to smooth the leaves. Grandparents pass them on to their children and grandchildren, and children pass them on to their friends. The people also skillfully use stringed, percussion, and wind instruments... with a variety of colors and rich emotional ranges.
In terms of beliefs, with the concept of animism, people have rituals of worshiping stones, trees, water sources, mountain gods, mother goddesses, showing gratitude and worshiping those who have contributed to the people and the country such as: Nang Han, Kham Ban, Tu Ma Hai Dao, Le Lai, Le Phuc Thanh, Ha Cong Thai...
Living in the natural environment and the products brought by the mountains and forests, through the processing of the people, has created a culinary culture with rich and unique flavors of the mountains and forests. Enjoy the daily dishes of the people with: steamed rice, bamboo rice, bitter soup, uoi soup, long soup, grilled fish, roasted pork... The mountainous region of Thanh Hoa also has famous culinary products such as: pomelos (Ba Thuoc, Ngoc Lac); bamboo shoots, mai bamboo shoots (Lang Chanh, Quan Son); Kim Tan sugarcane (Thach Thanh) is soft, sweet, crunchy and cool; Trac Nhat, Co Lung duck, catfish (Quan Hoa, Cam Thuy); Thuong Xuan cinnamon; Tan Ma tea (Quan Hoa); areca-flavored sticky rice, yellow-flowered sticky rice... are products that have been famous from ancient times to the present and are loved by everyone. The Thai people in Quan Hoa, Quan Son, Thuong Xuan, Lang Chanh, Ba Thuoc districts... have a type of wine that is carefully brewed in jars and jugs made from forest leaves mixed with sticky rice, cassava, corn... Drinking wine with intimate words, the stirring sound of the panpipe, drinking wine and drinking passionately has become a wine culture that softens the hearts of tourists. The culinary culture of the ethnic minorities in the mountainous areas of Thanh Hoa province has been contributing to enriching life with flavors and colors associated with the development of culture - tourism, loved by domestic and international tourists.
Each village in the mountainous areas of Thanh Hoa province is associated with a historical site. With hundreds of relics and scenic spots, they not only contain valuable and unique tangible cultural values, but these relics also contain many typical intangible cultural values such as: miracles, legends, proverbs, folk songs, customs, festivals, culinary culture, rituals, abstinence customs, folk knowledge, medicine with medicinal herbs... associated with the locality, living environment and worshiped characters,... historical and cultural sediments, beautifying the glorious tradition of building and defending the country of the nation.
The intangible cultural values of the ethnic minorities in Thanh Hoa province have been integrated for thousands of years, contributing to the formation of good qualities of the people of Thanh Hoa in general and the ethnic minorities in particular: brave, resilient, overcoming difficulties to defeat natural disasters and enemies; rich in compassion, for the greater good, for the benefit and longevity of the community. Those cultural values need to be preserved and promoted, contributing to building Thanh Hoa to soon become a model province.
Article and photos: Hoang Minh Tuong
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