Implementing cultural lifestyle in funerals of Mong ethnic people in Quan Son district

The Mong ethnic group in Quan Son district mainly lives in 3 villages: Mua Xuan, Xia Noi (Son Thuy commune), Che Lau (Na Meo commune), with a total of more than 200 households and more than 1,000 people. In recent years, thanks to the implementation of a new cultural lifestyle in funerals, the Mong people have reduced the expensive costs of organizing funerals, helping people reduce the economic burden, creating conditions for economic development of each family and each village, thereby contributing to building a new cultural life in the Mong village.

The Provincial Ethnic Committee coordinated with the Provincial Border Guard Command and the People's Committee of Quan Son district to organize a conference to propagate the implementation of cultural lifestyle in funerals of Mong ethnic people in Quan Son district in 2024.

Propaganda work is key...

The border commune of Na Meo has 9 villages with more than 895 households, 4,055 people, the Thai ethnic group accounts for more than 80% of the population. The whole commune has only one village with Mong ethnic group living, which is Che Lau. Previously, it was difficult to go from the commune center to Che Lau village, the winding and dangerous mountain road made traveling especially difficult during the rainy and stormy season. With the attention of the Party and the State, the road to Che Lau has been repaired and concreted to help people travel, trade, teachers in the village or border guards to go to the village with less difficulty. From Che Lau village, there is also a convenient route to go to Mua Xuan and Xia Noi villages (Son Thuy commune). With the main road, propaganda work to reach people in Mong villages is also much easier.

Che Lau currently has 66 households and more than 300 people. The Mong people of Che Lau village migrated from Muong Lat district in the early 1990s. Mr. Pham Van Thuat, Vice Chairman of Na Meo Commune People's Committee, said: In order to carry out the practice of putting the deceased in a coffin and changing the funeral culture, the commune has established a committee to promote cultural lifestyle in Mong ethnic funerals at the commune level since 2013. At the same time, promote the role of Party cell secretaries, village chiefs, prestigious people, and clan leaders in the village. Through the process of propaganda and mobilization, the people of Che Lau village have performed funerals according to the new lifestyle. All the deceased from 2018 to present have been put in a coffin, no longer left at home for a long time, and no longer killed many pigs, chickens, buffaloes, and cows for funerals. People's lives have gradually improved, traffic conditions are more convenient, information and communication are ensured.

As people who are closely attached to the local people, in recent years, in parallel with the work of firmly protecting the territorial sovereignty and national border security, the Na Meo International Border Guard Station has coordinated with local Party committees and authorities to promote propaganda work, participate in many activities and programs to contribute to socio-economic development, and ensure local security and order. In the villages where Mong ethnic people live, the border guard station has assigned officers to stay close to the area to "eat and live with the people", contributing to strengthening the military-civilian relationship at the border.

Major Mai Chi Thuc, Deputy Political Commissar of Na Meo International Border Guard Station, said: In 2024, the unit coordinated with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Quan Son District Agricultural Service Center, and the Na Meo Commune People's Committee to pilot the yellow-heart taro model on an area of ​​1 hectare in Che Lau village; coordinated with the Son Thuy Commune People's Committee to plant and guide the care of 1,679 plum trees for the people of Mua Xuan village. Among the Mong people, the border guards not only supported, donated trees and seedlings, called for charity programs, and ensured social security, but also propagated and guided people to practice a new cultural lifestyle in weddings and funerals. The change in people's awareness contributed to making it less likely for reactionary forces to take advantage of people's backward customs and concepts to distort the policies and guidelines of the Party and State, contributing to maintaining national defense, security, and firmly protecting the national border and sovereignty.

Contribute to economic development and build a new cultural lifestyle.

Promoting the achievements of previous years, and at the same time, to make the cultural lifestyle in funerals effective and sustainable, Quan Son District Party Committee issued Decision No. 724-QD/HU dated July 20, 2022 on establishing a propaganda committee to mobilize the implementation of cultural lifestyle in funerals in the Mong ethnic group in the period of 2021-2025; The District People's Committee issued Official Dispatch No. 1405/UBND-DT dated July 18, 2022 on implementing a number of contents of propaganda work to implement cultural lifestyle in funerals in the Mong ethnic group in the period of 2021-2025.

Yellow-heart taro is grown in Che Lau village, Na Meo commune.

Comrade Ha Van Toan, Head of the Ethnic Affairs Department of Quan Son district, said: Every year, the department has advised the People's Committee of Quan Son district to develop a plan and content to propagate the implementation of cultural lifestyle in funerals in the Mong ethnic minority area. Promote the role of village party cell secretaries, village chiefs, prestigious people, and clan leaders in propaganda work; continue to maintain the activities of the committee to promote cultural lifestyle in funerals in the Mong ethnic minority area at the commune level; improve the quality of the movement "All people unite to build a cultural life". Implement integration with programs, projects, and policies deployed in the ethnic minority area, especially economic development projects and infrastructure construction for the Mong ethnic minority area.

In addition, implementing Plan No. 60/KH-UBND dated March 19, 2021 of the Provincial People's Committee on the implementation of propaganda work to implement cultural lifestyle in funerals in the Mong ethnic group in Thanh Hoa province, period 2021-2025, in 2024, the Provincial Ethnic Committee issued a Plan to implement propaganda work to implement cultural lifestyle in funerals in the Mong ethnic group in Thanh Hoa province. Specifically, 3 conferences were organized for commune, village and hamlet officials in the Mong ethnic group in the districts: Muong Lat, Quan Hoa, Quan Son. In particular, in Quan Son district, the Provincial Ethnic Committee coordinated to organize a propaganda conference for commune and hamlet officials with Mong ethnic group residents and Mong ethnic people in 3 villages: Xia Noi, Mua Xuan (Son Thuy commune), Che Lau (Na Meo commune) with a total of more than 130 delegates attending.

It can be affirmed that the attention of the Party and the State, the active participation of functional branches, local Party committees and authorities have contributed to improving the effectiveness of implementing the new cultural lifestyle in funerals in the Mong ethnic group in Quan Son district. Thereby, helping Mong people reduce costly expenses in organizing funerals, contributing to the movement "All people unite to build a cultural life", creating conditions for household economic development, such as: planting yellow-heart taro concentrated in Che Lau village; planting peach trees in Mua Xuan and Xia Noi villages; growing two-crop rice in Mua Xuan village; implementing the model "Green vegetable garden, clean house, tidy kitchen, far-away barn" in 3 Mong villages of the Women's Union of Quan Son district...

Article and photos: Ngoc Huan

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/thuc-hien-nep-song-van-hoa-trong-tang-le-vung-dong-bao-mong-huyen-quan-son-221826.htm