Every year, in mid-January, the Ma Coong ethnic group in Ca Roong village (Thuong Trach commune, Bo Trach district, Quang Binh province) organizes a drum festival. This is an important spiritual ceremony, closely associated with the cultural and religious life of the people here.
The Drum Festival of the Ma Coong people is an occasion to pray for the Giang Ban for favorable rain, good wind, bumper crop season, and prosperous life. This is also the time when couples in the dating village are looking for a relationship.
Before the festival, the villagers carefully prepared from making drums, setting up fields to prepare food to welcome visitors from neighboring villages. The most prominent is the Giang worship ceremony, with the offering tray including typical products of the mountains and forests such as sticky rice, fish, wine, young cloud pots and apricots.
After the offering ceremony, the village elders threw rice handles to the four sides in the hope that the rice would be plump and the village would be prosperous. When the moon is high, the village elders issue an opening ceremony and start the drum smashing ceremony.
The participants will use a bucket to hit the drum face made from buffalo skin until the drum is completely punctured. The sound of gongs and drums resounds throughout the world, creating a bustling and vibrant atmosphere.
When the drum broke, the festive atmosphere calmed down, giving way for girls' dates in the village. They can freely get to know each other without making difference between the Ma Coong, Arem, Van Kieu ethnic groups or visitors from Laos. This was the time when they exchanged promises and began their love journey.
Meanwhile, the elderly and children gathered by the fire, sipped wine, and enjoyed the warm moments of the festival together.
In 2019, the Ma Coong drum festival was recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage. As an ethnic group that has long lived in the buffer zone of Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, the Ma Coong people have many unique cultural features compared to other Bru - Van Kieu ethnic groups.
In addition to customs and beliefs, they also have cultural exchange with Laos. The drum festival is not only a spiritual activity, but also a community connection, helping to preserve the tradition through many generations.
This year, with the support of the Department of Heritage (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), the festival has received additional investment in costumes, gongs and facilities for the festival. Thanks to that, the drum festival attracts a large number of visitors to enjoy and experience.
