At the end of January every year, the Hang Po Festival, also known as the Hill Market, takes place in Buon Ho town (Dak Lak). This is one of the unique traditional festivals of the Tay and Nung ethnic groups.
The Hang Po Festival has both cultural and spiritual significance and is an opportunity for the Tay and Nung communities to meet and preserve the traditional values of the nation.
Hang Po Festival originates from the spring festival customs of the Tay and Nung people. After each harvest season, ethnic minorities organize spring fairs to have fun, exchange and pray for a prosperous new year and a bumper crop.
According to popular beliefs, this is also an occasion to connect with love, where guys and girls meet, get acquainted and look for their other half. In addition to its spiritual meaning, the festival is also a community cultural event, attracting people and tourists to learn about and experience the unique customs of ethnic minorities.
The festival opens with a solemn ceremony with rituals of worshiping idols, heaven and earth, and praying for a peaceful new year. In particular, the season-praying ceremony is the most important ritual, when the village elders offer offerings including wine, sticky rice, chicken, and fruit to express their respect.
After the offering ceremony, the opening drum beat, signaling the official start of the festival. The highlight is the vibrant lion dance, imbued with the cultural identity of the Tay and Nung people.
The colorful lions danced to the bustling rhythm of the road, expressing their respect for their gods. In addition to the solemn ceremony, the festival was vibrant with many attractive cultural and folk sports activities.
Many artists participate in composing songs about love between couples, working life and love for the homeland.
Musician Si Hung, author of some songs about Buon Ho, shared: "This year's Hang Po Festival is very big and magnificent, expressing the cultural beauty of the Tay and Nung people - truly meaningful and good".
Traditional cuisine is also a highlight of the festival with specialties such as sticky rice cakes, black Chung cakes, roast pork, and shrimp.
In addition, a series of folk games such as Then singing, sli singing, tug of war, lay luong, pushing sticks, racing boats on the shore... attract a large number of people and tourists to participate.
In particular, Hang Po market is a prominent attraction, where young men and women meet and get acquainted through love songs.
This is not only a place to find a partner but also a space to express feelings naturally, imbued with national identity. Many beautiful love stories have sprung up here, the charm of eyes, smiles and lyrics.
Participating in the festival for the first time, Ms. Trinh Thi Ly, a tourist, expressed her excitement: "The love market is both unique and strange. Many traditional activities are very interesting, there are also culinary buffalo meat dishes that I have never seen before.
The Hang Po Festival in Ea Sien Commune is not only an important cultural event of the Tay and Nung communities in Dak Lak but also a valuable cultural heritage, a unique tourist highlight in the heart of the Central Highlands.
