Tram Tau bustling Gau Tao Festival

Yen Bai - In the jubilant and excited atmosphere of the first days of the spring of At Ty year 2025, this morning - February 15, Tram Tau district enthusiastically organized the Gau Tao Festival 2025. Attending the Festival were comrade Ta Van Long - Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council; comrades in the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, leaders, People's Council, Provincial People's Committee; leaders representing departments, branches, localities in the province and some districts of Son La province; leaders of Tram Tau district and a large number of people and tourists from near and far.

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>>>Gau Tao Festival of Mong people in Yen Bai is recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage

>>>Tram Tau is imbued with the identity of the Gau Tao Festival of the Mong people

From early morning, a large number of people gathered at the district central stadium where the Gau Tao Festival of Tram Tau district was held this year. Everyone was very excited because this was the biggest festival of the year in the locality. Not only people from communes in the district came to the festival but also many tourists from inside and outside the province came to the festival with a bustling atmosphere, a new and memorable feeling.

Gau Tao Festival is one of the typical beauties, expressing the unique spirituality and beliefs of the Mong people; this is one of the typical festivals expressing the long-standing cultural traditions of the nation, maintained and preserved by the Mong people. The festival usually takes place at the end of the old year, beginning of the new year with the concept of growth and development.

Folk artist Giang A Su performs a ritual to thank the gods according to traditional customs.

Provincial leaders shared joy and congratulated the ethnic people of Tram Tau district at the Festival.

The opening of the festival is a worship ceremony performed according to Mong ethnic customs by artisan Giang A Su, with the content: "Thanking the mountain god, the earth god, the sky god, the stream god for giving the ethnic people of Tram Tau district a year with many good things, bountiful crops and praying for the gods to continue to bless the ethnic people of Tram Tau district with a new year of good luck...".

According to the Mong people, the number four represents four gods: the god of heaven, the god of earth, the god of rivers and the god of mountains. "Gầu Tào" is intended to thank heaven and earth, the gods for blessing the family, clan, village, and people with health, prosperity, no illness, peace and happiness. Pray for the villagers to be well-off, prosperous, have a full field of rice, a bountiful harvest, and have full pens of livestock and poultry... This is also an occasion for villagers to gather and have fun, preparing to enter a new year, a new farming season.

The Neu tree is a straight pole, over 2m long.

Special panpipe dance at the Festival.

In preparation for this year's Gau Tao Festival, Tram Tau District assigned Ban Mu Commune to preside over the preparation of offerings and the Neu tree, the Khen dance team... to perform at the Festival. The highlight of the Festival is the Neu tree erection ceremony. This year, the tree chosen as the Neu tree is the To Hap tree, straight and over 20m long. The Neu tree symbolizes heaven and earth, the tree trunk is decorated with 3 colors: green and red: symbolizing the beauty of heaven and earth, nature, flowers and fruits...

Delegates participate in pao throwing at the Festival.

After the ceremony was solemnly performed according to Mong ethnic customs, the festival with special performances and traditional sports such as: Tug of war, stick pushing, spinning top, pao throwing, rice cake pounding competition... attracted a large number of people from 10 highland communes in the district to participate. Being immersed in traditional games, each person present at the festival seemed to be immersed in the space of regional identity and then reminded themselves to preserve and promote that identity for future generations.

The Gau Tao Festival of the Mong people in Tram Tau, Mu Cang Chai, Van Chan districts, Yen Bai province has been recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. This is an important event, a source of great pride not only for the Mong people in Tram Tau, Mu Cang Chai, Van Chan districts but also for all ethnic groups in Yen Bai province. Through the organization of the Gau Tao Festival, the traditional cultural values ​​of the nation are preserved and restored. Thereby, promoting and introducing widely the content and cultural values ​​of the Festival and strengthening the spirit of solidarity among ethnic groups, creating a link for sustainable cultural and tourism development between localities in the province and the Northwest region.

Thu Trang - Duc Toan

Source: http://baoyenbai.com.vn/226/346050/Tram-Tau-tung-bung-Le-hoi-Gau-Tao.aspx