Stone Beeswax Harvesting Festival attracts tourists to Cao Bang

For the first time, the Stone Beeswax Harvesting Festival was held in Hoai Khao hamlet, Nguyen Binh district, Cao Bang province to preserve and honor an intangible cultural heritage.

Accordingly, coming to Hoai Khao on this occasion, visitors will be told mysterious stories by local people about stone beehives and treasures that are hundreds of years old.

In Hoai Khao hamlet, there are two places where stone bees come to nest: Chan Venh and Ta Lat. As a predetermined rule, in the spring the bees fly back to nest, in the fall the bees fly away in unknown directions.

Everyone unites to protect the bee cave, determined not to let strangers approach, because if the honey is taken, the bees will not return next year.

In order to create a unique and unique cultural space, contributing to promoting Hoai Khao's tourism potential, the worshiping ceremony of the bee and forest gods was held for the first time on a festival scale.

The festival also aims to honor the beauty of folk knowledge of the Dao people and preserve the beauty of folk knowledge through the art of beeswax painting and rich community activities.

Mr. Duong Hien Hoa - Vice Chairman of Nguyen Binh District People's Committee, said that the time to perform the bee god worshiping ceremony is usually held around August - September every year.

But this year, due to the changing weather and the rainy season coming early, based on Hoai Khao people's prediction that the bees might fly away soon, the bee god worshiping ceremony was performed earlier.

The art of using beeswax to create patterns on fabric of the Mong people in Yen Bai (Mu Kang Chai, Tram Tau, Van Chan districts) was once awarded a certificate of National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Participating in the Stone Beeswax Harvesting Festival in Hoai Khao, visitors will have the opportunity to learn about the differences in rituals and creativity of the Dao people.

Hoai Khao is located separately at the foot of Phia Oac mountain at an altitude of over 1,000m above sea level, belonging to the Phia Oac - Phia Den National Park complex, known as the "house of the Dao people". This place contains the roots of Dao culture, is the homeland of the charming Pao Dung melody, and possesses traditional beeswax cooking techniques.

Although there are only 34 households of the Dao Tien ethnic group, the typical traditional cultural values, from costumes to traditional crafts include: Printing patterns with beeswax, brocade embroidery, and silver carving of the people. The knife is almost preserved intact.

In the small village, there are still old wooden houses with yin and yang tiled roofs. That traditional architectural complex is placed in the middle of pristine nature with mountains, valleys, waterfalls, streams, terraced fields... creating a peaceful, poetic beauty.