Nang Han Festival is usually held in February of the lunar calendar every year, to commemorate the merits of female general Nang Han, who contributed to driving out the Northern invaders and maintaining peace for the village.
This is a traditional festival rich in identity of the Black Thai people in the Son La Hydropower Lake area, attracting a large number of people and tourists from all directions.
From early morning, the atmosphere at Cang Bo Ban village was bustling with music. Thai women in brilliant traditional costumes and people from all over excitedly came to the festival, creating a unique cultural picture in the highlands.
According to shaman Lo Van Cho, it is said that in the 14th century, northern invaders flooded into the Northwest to loot. Nang Han cut her hair, cross-dressed, and called on young men from the villages to unite and stand up to fight the enemy. Under her command, the 16th Thai insurgent army won, keeping peace for the village.
In the old forest area along the Nam Trai stream, she once stationed troops for 6 months to fight the enemy. People established places of worship and maintained annual worship ceremonies to show gratitude.
Mr. Bui Viet Cuong - Chairman of Muong La Commune People's Committee - said that Nang Han festival has existed for a long time, and was restored and maintained annually in 2022. The government and people have contributed to building Nang Han temple in a new location by the lake, creating a cultural activity spot and attracting tourism. Through this, the locality promotes the cultural values of ethnic groups in Muong La region to tourists.
For many people far from home, the festival is an opportunity to return to both participate in traditional cultural activities and reunite with relatives. Mr. Lo Van Nuoc, living in Moc Chau, who came to attend the festival, shared: "Knowing about the festival organization, we are very excited to return to participate. This is an opportunity for our children and grandchildren to understand and preserve our national traditions.
At the festival, the ceremony part is solemnly organized with the ritual of offering incense, worshiping gods and earth gods, requesting to organize the festival at Nang Han Church, Cang Bo Ban village. Offerings include buffalo meat, can wine, fruits, betel and areca. The shaman performs the ritual of inviting Nang Han and the gods to witness, praying for favorable weather, peaceful villages, and prosperous people.
The festival part took place sôi nổi with many cultural and folk sports activities. Dance performances recreating Nang Han's battles, traditional arts performances, community xoe dance attracted a large number of viewers.
Many attractive folk games are organized such as boat racing, balancing bridges on the lake, throwing nets, blindfolded duck catching. Among them, boat racing is the most attractive content with the participation of 6 teams, nearly 100 athletes from villages in the commune. Cheers and cheers echoed when the boats surfed the waves to the finish line, creating a lively atmosphere for the festival.
Mr. Ha Van Thu - captain of the La Bung village boat racing team - said that the members practiced before the festival and competed their best, winning high prizes in the cheers of the people.
Nang Han Festival is not only spiritual but also an opportunity to honor historical values and arouse national pride. Thereby, contributing to preserving Thai cultural identity, strengthening community solidarity and promoting the image of Muong Trai land to tourists.
