Mo Muong and the Mo Festival in the fabric of Phu Hoa culture
Phu Yen is an area with a large population of Muong people, accounting for 43% of the population, concentrated in Muong Coi, Gia Phu, Muong Bang, Tan Phong communes and Phu Yen commune. This is the land of ancient Muong villages, where Muong culture is fully preserved through spiritual rituals, traditional festivals and community activities.
Mo Muong and Mo Mo festival are typical spiritual values, reflecting material life and containing knowledge and beliefs of the Muong ethnic group through many generations.
In May 2023, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognized Mo Muong social practices and beliefs as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. Mo Muong is a singing and meditation system associated with life-cycle rituals such as weddings, funerals, and building new houses. Each shamans is a "treasure trove of life", both an artisan and a teacher of morality, customs and beliefs to the community.
To become a Mo teacher, first of all, there must be someone in the family who has been a teacher and passed the profession on to their children and grandchildren. In addition, the person chosen to be a Mo master must have heart, virtue, maintain family discipline and family discipline in the family and be proficient in the customs, practices and rituals of the Muong ethnic group.
Mr. Ha Van Trung, Lan village, Muong Bang commune, the second generation in the Mo-lyrical family, shared: Mo Muong is not only a ceremony, but a bridge between people and ancestors. When there were people who knew Mo, and there was a singer Dang, the Muong village still had soul.
The Loi Festival takes place in early spring, including a solemn ceremony to worship ancestors and idols, a season-praying for the bountiful harvest, and a festival with dances, folk games, throwing con, pounding cakes, dancing Khen, singing Dang Muong. The bustling gong sound, regular flute beats, and Dang Muong's singing are resounding, creating a picture of community activities that are both solemn and lively.
Ms. Trieu Thi Phai, in charge of Dang Muong Club, Muong Coi Commune, said: The club currently has 45 members, from 10 to over 60 years old. The members together collected, arranged and performed traditional folk melodies. Festivals such as Lunar New Year, Mo Festival, Khai Ha Festival... are an occasion for people to use lyrics and singing to recreate the life, work and joy of Muong village".
musical instruments and performing arts - a place that preserves the soul of Muong culture
Folk music plays a role in shaping the spiritual life of the Muong people in Phu Yen. Typical musical instruments such as gongs, wooden drums, and swans are not only present in traditional rituals but also create a community living space imbued with identity, connecting generations in Muong village.
The gong consists of 12 pieces: Rampage, reed gong and tle gong. When performing, the gongs opened, other gongs rang out in harmony, creating a profound, magical sound. The gong used in Moi, wedding, and bronze-cutting ceremony is a symbol of reunion and prosperity.
Tam is a unique musical instrument, Tam Tam performance is a unique folk art, often performed during Tet, festivals, house building, festivals. Bean sprouts are made from crab trunks, tamarind trees or core- hollowed yellow plants, combined with a 1.5 - 2.5m long spade. The player creates sound from the plowing, beating, sometimes slow, sometimes fast following the Bach rhythm, expressing the lively rhythm of Muong village and is the call for the god of the fertile crop season.
Ms. Dinh Thi Mien, Thai village, Muong Coi commune, who has been participating in the spike team for more than 40 years, shared: "The sound of the spike is bustling, the villagers believe that the crop will be favorable and life will be peaceful. Traditional musical instruments are the soul of Muong culture, indispensable in every festival and festival".
Phu Yen communes currently maintain more than 40 swallow spike teams, about 200 trees are trained each year, contributing to the preservation and spread of this unique art. musical instruments and art forms have been improved to suit modern life, helping Muong folk music to remain lively and close to the public.
Maintaining the Muong ethnic cultural flame with the consensus of the community
The survival of Muong culture in Phu Yen depends on the awareness and responsibility of the community. The communes have coordinated to restore festivals, collect documents, open Mo Muong classes, establish Dang Muong Club, gong team, and spike team.
People in Muong Coi, Muong Bang, Tan Phong, Gia Phu villages practice dancing, learn to sing Dang Muong, drum, gong, and swallowing. Children are taught by the elderly through singing, dancing and belief, contributing to creating a culture of inter-generational connectivity.
Mr. Phan Ngoc Linh - Chairman of Muong Coi Commune People's Committee, emphasized: "Conservation of Muong culture must rely on the community. The State supports, but the people are the subject. When people are proud of their culture, heritage is naturally preserved and sustainable.
Thanks to the consensus, the Loi festival maintains its original, the sword fighting team and the Dang Muong Club operate continuously, traditional musical instruments are being harnessed and preserved. Muong culture is not only a memory but a vibrant force, contributing to the development of tourism, economy and society in Phu Yen.
The gong sound, the flute sound, and the Dang Muong singing are in harmony with the rhythm of mountain, forest and rice fields, becoming the soul of Muong village, recalling the origin, connecting the community and arousing national pride in the midst of modern life in the land of unique Phu Hoa.
