Hung Son Commune People's Committee (Da Nang) has just organized the opening year festival to thank the forest - a community ritual of the Co Tu ethnic minority people. The ceremony carries the meaning of gratitude to the mountains and forests, praying for favorable weather, good harvests, and a peaceful and prosperous life.
On the wide yard at the pomu forest eco-tourism area, the Neu tree is erected in the central position as a symbol connecting people with heaven and earth, opening the festival season of the new year in the mountainous region, VNA reported.
The ceremony part takes place solemnly with rituals of offering offerings, praying, and thanking the forest according to ancient customs. For the people of Hung Son, the forest not only provides water, forest products and livelihoods, but is also a cultural and spiritual space associated through many generations.
Village elder Hoi Mia said that people always believe that the forest is the place to feed people, the "big roof" of the villagers. Therefore, at the beginning of the year, the community jointly organizes a ceremony to express sincerity, praying for favorable weather, good harvests, family peace, and healthy children and grandchildren.
According to elder Hoi Mia, the greatest value of the festival is not only in the religious rituals, but also in the lesson about how to live in harmony with nature. Through the worship ceremony, adults remind young people to cherish the forest, preserve the forest, and not exploit it indiscriminately, because if the forest is lost, the village will also lose its "source of life".
After the ceremony part, the festival part takes place sôi nổi with many activities imbued with cultural identity such as gong performances, traditional dances, folk song exchanges, folk game competitions and introduction of local cuisine. The festival atmosphere is bustling but still retains the rustic, close features, clearly reflecting the cultural life of mountainous residents.
The highlight of the festival is the space of the ancient pomu forest - a precious ecological resource of the locality. Many trees in the complex are hundreds of years old, large trunks, wide canopies, distributed on the characteristic hilly terrain, creating a pristine landscape and outstanding biodiversity values. Many ancient trees are named by people based on their characteristics, shape, location or stories associated with community memories. This way of calling expresses the attachment and respect for the forest, and at the same time reflects indigenous knowledge that is still preserved in cultural life.
Ms. Nguyen Mai Trinh, a tourist from Quang Tri, said that the impressive thing is not only the pristine beauty of the mountains and forests, but also the way people preserve nature with respect, considering the forest as a part of their flesh and blood in daily life. This is also an advantage for the locality to develop tourism in the direction of experiencing, exploring nature and learning about traditional culture.
Mr. Nguyen An, Secretary of the Party Committee of Hung Son commune, emphasized that the restoration and maintenance of the forest gratitude opening festival is an effort to preserve cultural identity, and at the same time gradually form a unique tourism product associated with nature and the community. The goal is not only to attract tourists but also to create sustainable livelihoods for local people.
Through the festival, the Co Tu community in Hung Son has the opportunity to look back at the values of nature, traditions and consolidate the spirit of solidarity. Preserving culture associated with forest management and protection is creating a foundation for the locality to develop sustainably, harmoniously and sustainably.
