In the chilly weather, under the high roof of Kon Klor communal house, young men play solemn gongs, barefoot girls play graceful xoang rhythms, men weave and sculpt statues, women weave... The cultural space of ethnic minorities in Kon Tum is fully and vividly recreated, captivating many visitors from near and far when attending the 2nd Kon Tum Gong and xoang festival of ethnic minorities in 2024.
Traveling more than 50km, the Xo Dang ethnic artisans from Dak Ro Gia village, Dak Tram commune, Dak To district brought to this festival the performance of the New Rice Festival. According to tradition, in October of the solar calendar every year, when the rice is ripe, the Xo Dang people begin harvesting and hold a festival to celebrate the new rice.
Artisan A Breast, Dak Ro Gia village, Dak Tram commune, Dak To district shared: The new rice festival of the Xo Dang people is divided into two stages, the first stage is eating new rice in each family, also known as the new rice celebration (ka - pa - neo); the second stage is the wine drinking festival to celebrate new rice in the village community, also known as the new rice festival (on - ro - to - trieng). During the festival, the village elder will pray to Yang, asking the rice god to let them bring the rice spirit back to the villagers, with the wish that the villagers will not lack rice to eat, and that their lives will always be full and prosperous.
Participating in the 2nd Kon Tum Province Gong and Xoang Festival of Ethnic Minorities are 10 groups of artisans from 10 districts and cities with about 800 artisans competing in a total of 29 performances in two categories, including: Gong and Xoang dance competition and performance competition, introducing festivals, traditional cultural rituals of ethnic minorities.
With careful preparation, the teams performed performances that fully reflected the fine traditional cultural identities of the ethnic groups; promoted positive elements, eliminated negative, backward elements that were no longer suitable for today's cultural life.
Mr. Thao To Ra (Brau ethnic group), Dak Me village, Po Y commune, Ngoc Hoi district shared: The Brau ethnic group brought 3 performances to this Festival, including the performance of the Dinh Pu musical instrument. Dinh Pu is a musical instrument made from bamboo, consisting of 2 tubes of equal length selected from beautiful, thin bamboo segments, with the same thickness. When performing, there are 5 people, the four main players will use their two hands to clap together in front of the mouths of the tubes to create sound, the remaining person is responsible for keeping the Dinh Pu balanced when crossing each other.
“This musical instrument is used by the Brau people for entertainment and relaxation in different spaces and times such as: when clearing fields, moving to a new house, and especially the Dinh Pu musical instrument is performed in festivals. The sound of the Dinh Pu shows talent and beauty, and is the heart of the boys and girls who want to send their love to their partner” - Mr. Thao To Ra shared more.
In addition to performing unique cultural programs, under the ancient banyan tree and under the porch of Kon Klor communal house, women are working hard on looms to weave colorful brocades; men are carving statues and whittling bamboo to weave baskets. A vivid picture of the daily life of ethnic minorities in Kon Tum is fully recreated.
Artisan Y Dun (Ba Na ethnic group), Kon Klor village, Thang Loi ward, Kon Tum city said: The brocade weaving profession of the Ba Na people has existed for a long time and has been passed down from generation to generation. Today, we fully recreated the process of thread catching, weaving brocade, and creating patterns on brocade. We are very happy that many people come to see and enjoy brocade products. 
With her deft hands weaving bamboo strips together to make a basket, artisan A So Ri (Ba Na ethnic group), Kon Ko Tu village, Dak Ro Wa commune, Kon Tum city, shared: Being able to come to this festival to introduce the traditional weaving craft makes me very happy. Actually, only the elderly know how to do this craft, the younger generation is not very interested. Through this, I am introduced to tourists so that they can understand more about the traditional craft of the nation and hope that today's younger generation will continue to preserve and promote the value of this weaving craft.
The 2nd Kon Tum Gong Festival has created a colorful space for artisans to meet, exchange experiences, and raise awareness in preserving and promoting traditional cultural values of ethnic groups. At the same time, it creates opportunities for businesses and those who love the Central Highlands culture to come and learn. From there, introduce traditional products, helping ethnic minorities expand their product consumption markets.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phong - Tourist from Da Nang City shared: When experiencing this Festival, I felt very interesting. I got to watch the gong and xoang performances with the deep, resonant sounds of the Central Highlands mountains and forests. In particular, I got to see with my own eyes the artisans weaving brocade, weaving baskets, and carving statues, which I had only seen in the press before. If I have the chance, I will invite my friends to Kon Tum to experience these unique cultural values.
Through the 2nd Kon Tum Gong Festival, Kon Tum province hopes to promote to domestic and international friends the potential, economic development, culture, and tourism of the province in the process of integration and development. Create motivation for the locality to continue to do better in preserving and honoring the national cultural identity and carry out the task of building and developing Vietnamese culture and people to meet the requirements of sustainable development of the country.
Ngoc Chi (Ethnic and Development Newspaper)
Source: https://baophutho.vn/tai-hien-sinh-dong-khong-gian-van-hoa-cua-dong-bao-dtts-o-kon-tum-224609.htm
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