Gau Tao Festival recognized as National Intangible Cultural Heritage

Gau Tao National Intangible Cultural Heritage

On the evening of February 14, the People's Committee of Tram Tau district (Yen Bai) held a ceremony to announce the Decision and award the Certificate of National Intangible Cultural Heritage for the Gau Tao Festival of the Mong people in Tram Tau district, Mu Cang Chai district, Van Chan district (Yen Bai province); and awarded the Certificate of Heritage Tree recognition to the People's Committee of Tram Tau district.

At the ceremony, authorized by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the leaders of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced "Gau Tao Festival of the Mong people in Tram Tau district, Mu Cang Chai district, Van Chan district, Yen Bai province" to become a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Deputy Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage Nong Quoc Thanh, authorized by the leaders of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, presented the Certificate to the representative of the heritage community of the three districts of Tram Tau, Mu Cang Chai and Van Chan.

Here, representatives of the Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment announced and awarded the Decision and Certificate of Heritage Tree recognition to the People's Committee of Tram Tau district for the population of Nui Dat Sam trees in Tram Tau town and Xa Ho commune.

Chairman of Tram Tau District People's Committee Vu Le Chung Anh said that Tram Tau is a western district of Yen Bai province; a land rich in revolutionary traditions and a place where the unique cultural features of ethnic groups converge. Of which, the Mong ethnic group accounts for over 79%, living in 10 highland communes with traditional cultural heritages imbued with humanistic values.

Over the years, the People's Committee of Tram Tau district has always paid attention to leading and directing the work of preserving, protecting and promoting the value of cultural heritage in the cause of socio-economic development.

The district considers this an important task, one of the driving forces that creates identity and endogenous strength in the local development process. Up to now, the whole district has 4 relics and heritages ranked at provincial and national levels.

For the Mong people, one of the typical beauties, expressing unique spirituality and beliefs is the Gau Tao Festival. This is a typical festival expressing the cultural traditions of the Mong people that have existed for a long time, maintained and preserved by the people.

Where the Mong people place their trust

The festival usually takes place at the beginning of the new year with the concept of fertility and growth. In the Gau Tao Festival, the pole is the main symbol, associated with sacredness. The Mong people believe that the number 4 represents 4 gods: the god of heaven, the god of earth, the god of river and the god of mountain.

With its special historical, cultural and artistic values, Gau Tao Festival was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

This is the result of the joint efforts of the Party Committee, government and people of the ethnic groups in Tram Tau, Mu Cang Chai and Van Chan districts to preserve and conserve the culture. At the same time, it is also the recognition of the Party and State for the values ​​in the cultural heritage of the Mong community.

Representing the three districts, the People's Committee of Tram Tau district pledged to continue implementing practical activities to promote and practice the heritage; step up propaganda and promotion of the Gau Tao Festival associated with the development of community cultural tourism.

At the same time, continue to support and create conditions for Mong people to maintain the organization, teach festivals, preserve traditional rituals; promote the role of the community in preserving and protecting heritage, especially the young generation, so that this cultural beauty is passed down forever.

“Gầu Tào” in Kinh means to offer thanks to heaven, earth, and gods for blessing the family, clan, village, and people with health, prosperity, freedom from illness, peace, and happiness; to pray for the villagers to be well-off, for fields full of rice, for bountiful harvests, and for barns full of livestock and poultry.

Gau Tao Festival is not only a place for Mong people to express their faith and hope for a new and better life, but also a place to connect people's feelings; it is also an opportunity for those who are far from home to reunite with their families, villages and hamlets; it is a space for healthy entertainment and recreation after months of hard work.

On this occasion, there will also be a series of cultural, sports and tourism activities such as: the colorful Tram Tau art program; the Khen Mong dance performance by 500 students in the district; the reenactment of the Gau Tao Festival... Through these activities, delegates, people and tourists will be able to visit and experience the colorful cultural space of the ethnic groups.