Son Duong preserves national costumes

Son Duong is a district with a large number of ethnic minorities living in Tuyen Quang province, accounting for nearly 50% of the population. Preserving and promoting the value of traditional costumes of ethnic groups not only preserves cultural identity but is also a way to connect future generations, helping local culture develop sustainably.

Variety of traditional costumes

Son Duong district has 19 ethnic groups living together including: Kinh, Cao Lan, Tay, Dao, San Diu, Mong... converging many unique cultural values ​​in festivals, customs, practices, rituals, costumes, traditional occupations. Each ethnic group has its own costumes that express its own ethnic characteristics, such as: Cao Lan costumes with simple but graceful and elegant lines, highlighting the natural beauty; Mong and Dao ethnic costumes are colorful, diverse in style and color...

In Dong Tho commune, Mong women still maintain the custom of sewing, embroidering and using ethnic costumes in daily life. Some families have sewing machines to sew traditional costumes. People's lives are familiar with linen, looms, needles and threads. In their free time, they sit and weave fabric and embroider dresses, especially on the occasion of Tet, they often focus on sewing and embroidering costumes for themselves and their families. Anyone who sees them is attracted and loves Mong costumes because of their beautiful and unique colors. Ms. Ly Thi Kia, Tan An village shared: "Mong ethnic costumes are a unique cultural symbol, demonstrating ingenuity and creativity. With sophisticated hand-embroidered motifs and bright colors, each costume not only has aesthetic value but also contains stories about history, customs and beliefs".

People of Dai Phu commune (Son Duong) in traditional Cao Lan ethnic costumes.

The traditional costume of the Cao Lan ethnic group in Chi Thiet commune stands out with a knee-length dress, the body of the dress is combined with red, brown, pink with indigo blue, black. The dress opens diagonally in front of the chest, buttons on the right side, slits on both sides from under the armpit down to the hem of the dress, the dress has three buttons. The dress is calf-length, made from five pieces of fabric, the waistband is usually smaller than the hem of the dress, inside is threaded with colored thread for tying. The unique point is the braided colored thread tassel sewn on the edge of the dress, very delicate and graceful. Attached to the dress is a belt, woven very elaborately, beautifully with many patterns of alternating colors. Ms. Hoang Thi Phuong, Ninh Phu village, Chi Thiet commune said: "It usually takes a lot of time to make a costume. For generations, the Cao Lan people often wear traditional costumes on holidays, Tet, and important family occasions. We always preserve, maintain and promote the cultural identity of the traditional costume of the nation".

Each costume has its own unique features. The delicate hand embroidery, the skillful tailoring and the diverse color combinations of each traditional costume. During festivals, holidays or important events, people not only express their cultural identity but also create a close bond between generations, a bridge for communication and sharing, helping to strengthen solidarity and mutual understanding in the community.

Preserving national costumes

Nowadays, some traditional costumes are no longer widely used in daily life, many costumes are no longer original. This is due to the development of society, the exchange and influence of many cultures that change the lifestyle, many people are afraid to wear their traditional costumes because they are not suitable for daily life; young people are afraid of being considered backward... Therefore, preserving and promoting the value of traditional costumes is considered an urgent requirement, not only contributing to preserving cultural identity, improving spiritual life but also being exploited to develop tourism.

Ms. Ha Thi Hong Lien, Head of the Department of Culture and Information of Son Duong district, said: In the context of integration and exchange, in order to make traditional costumes more popular in the lives of ethnic minorities, to enhance pride, awareness, responsibility, preserve and promote traditional costumes of ethnic groups in the area, the district has actively organized festivals, cultural and artistic exchanges to honor the value of costumes, and at the same time support the establishment and maintenance of clubs and art troupes. These activities not only help preserve but also promote the traditional cultural values ​​of ethnic minorities, contributing to preserving the national cultural identity.

Pham Lan Nhi, from Nha Xe village, Dong Loi commune, has watched her grandmothers and mothers weave and embroider traditional ethnic costumes since she was a child. Lan Nhi shared: “I think ethnic costumes are very beautiful and special. Each costume is not only for wearing, but also contains many cultural and historical meanings. I hope everyone will work together to preserve and promote ethnic costumes, not only during festivals but also in daily life. This helps us remember our roots, our ancestors and the customs and practices of our people.”

In order to preserve and promote the cultural values ​​of traditional costumes of ethnic groups, Son Duong district has implemented Project 06 on preserving and promoting the fine traditional cultural values ​​of ethnic minorities associated with tourism development. From 2023 to present, the district has established 6 folk cultural clubs and provided costumes and props to maintain effective operations. The district also coordinated with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism in researching and inventorying cultural heritage, organizing ethnic costume shows and establishing 32 cultural and artistic clubs for ethnic minorities. In particular, the construction of Tan Lap Cultural - Tourism Village in Tan Trao commune to preserve the Tay ethnic culture and develop community tourism has created a good impression on tourists coming to the locality.

Lan Phuong/Tuyen Quang Newspaper

Source: https://baophutho.vn/son-duong-gin-giu-trang-phuc-dan-toc-229517.htm