Yen Bai - Every spring, the mountains and forests of Na Hau and Van Yen are filled with life, which is also the time when the Mong people here joyfully organize a forest worship ceremony, also known as "Na Hau Forest Festival". This is an occasion to remember their roots, thank the forest god, and at the same time preserve the unique traditional cultural beauty of their people.
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Mong girls in Na Hau practice performing arts in preparation for the Forest Tet Festival. |
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These days, people in Na Hau commune, Van Yen district are busy preparing for the 2025 forest worship ceremony. In a small house, shaman Sung A Senh in traditional costume is carefully preparing paper money for the ceremony. Shaman Sung A Senh, Trung Tam village said: "The preparation of paper money for this ceremony is extremely important. According to the Mong people's concept, these coins will be burned in the ceremony, sent to the spiritual world to pray for the gods to bless and protect the villagers for a new year of favorable weather and bountiful crops."
Preparations for the forest worshiping ceremony were started by the Mong people in the green Na Hau forest from the first days of January of the year At Ty. People selected healthy chickens and pigs, prepared traditional dishes as offerings to the forest god. The sacred forest - where the main ceremony took place - was also cleaned by the people, and an altar was built at the base of an ancient tau tree. The main rituals of the forest worshiping ceremony include: forest worshiping, oath-taking to protect the forest, celebrating the forest New Year, along with many competitions, folk games, folk songs, and folk dances.
The shaman prepares paper money for the forest worship ceremony.
Mr. Giang A Quang in Trung Tam village, Na Hau commune shared: "The Forest Festival has created solidarity among the people in forest protection work, proactively implementing measures to prohibit cutting down trees, and voluntarily protecting the forest. Good forest protection also helps people have income from the forest, such as from growing medicinal plants to have more income and stabilize their lives."
After the forest worship ceremony, according to Mong people's custom, all villages of Na Hau commune are closed to the forest for 3 days to thank the forest god. Also during these 3 days, everyone must strictly follow the taboos prescribed by customary law, which are not to go into the forest to cut down trees, not to bring green leaves from the forest home, not to dig up roots, break bamboo shoots, not to dig the ground, not to let livestock roam free, not to dry clothes outdoors, not to grind corn, pound rice... This is also an opportunity for Mong Na Hau people to celebrate the forest New Year, visit each other's houses, strengthen solidarity, and prepare mentally for a new year of work with the belief that good things will come to everyone, every family.
It is known that Na Hau is a commune located in the core zone of Na Hau Nature Reserve. Special-use natural forests account for over 4,500 hectares of the commune's total area of over 5,600 hectares. The forest is like a common roof for more than 500 Mong households with over 2,500 people. After hundreds of years of living closely with the forest, the Mong people here have established immutable regulations on forest protection, including the Forest Worship Ceremony.
Mr. Ly Ton Cau - Chairman of Na Hau Commune People's Committee said: "The forest not only protects the villagers from natural disasters, but also provides products for eating, water for drinking and irrigation for the fields. The forest has long been a spiritual support for the whole community. Worshiping the forest is to pray for the gods to grant people health and bountiful crops. From respect for nature, the conventions, village covenants and customary laws of forest protection have been proposed and implemented by generations of Mong people in Na Hau. Thanks to the special forest protection customs of the people, combined with the forest management and protection work of the functional sector, Na Hau forest is always green, becoming a shelter for many rare animals and many precious woods".
With its important values and meanings, in December 2024, the Na Hau Forest Worshiping Festival was included in the list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Mr. Le Thanh Hung - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Van Yen district said: "The district has issued a plan to preserve and promote the value of the intangible cultural heritage of the Forest Worshiping Festival of the Mong ethnic group in Na Hau commune until 2030. Along with that, in the coming time, we will continue to promote the Festival, and at the same time integrate the organization of the Festival with propaganda activities on environmental protection and sustainable livelihood development for the people. The district will also create the best conditions for the Mong ethnic group to promote their role as the main subject in preserving the unique traditional cultural values of their people".
The forest worship ceremony or forest festival has become a long-standing custom for the Mong people of Na Hau commune to remember their roots. It is a very valuable cultural beauty of the people living in the green Na Hau forest, contributing practically to the management and protection of forest resources as well as the protection of the ecological environment, preserving biodiversity in Van Yen district in particular and Yen Bai province in general.
Thu Trang
Source: http://baoyenbai.com.vn/226/346269/Na-Hau-ron-rang-don-Tet-rung.aspx
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