Tu lu is a folk game associated with the life of the H'Mong people for generations. Every Tet, festival or happy day of the village, the tu lu wheels stir up the atmosphere with joyful cheers.
Today, the game is not only preserved as a cultural beauty but also becomes an attractive experience product, attracting tourists to the highlands of Son La.
For the H'Mong people, tu lu is a part of childhood. From 5-6 years old, many young children have been carved by grandparents and parents for the first tu lu to play with.
The larger the tu lu, the larger and heavier it is made, suitable for the player's physical strength. Tu lu is usually made from hardwood such as nghiến, lim, đinh or sến to ensure durability and impact resistance.
Mr. Khang A Say, Secretary of the Party Cell, Head of Nam Nghep village, Ngoc Chien commune, said that to make a good tu lu, the craftsman must carve it very balanced. The bottom part is sharpened to create a rotating point, the top part is rounded to maintain balance.
If you want the tu lu to rotate for a long time, in addition to good wood, you must craft it properly. Players also need to know how to wrap the rope and apply the right force technique," Mr. Say shared.
The tu lu playing kit is quite simple. The spinning string is sewn with linen fibers longer than 1m, connected to a section of stick made of a hard branch or straight bamboo, about 40-60cm long. When competing, players use arm force combined with the movement of releasing the string at the right time for the tu lu to rush down to the ground and spin continuously.
The playground is usually a flat ground, wide enough for players to compete and for viewers to cheer. The game has many forms, but the most common are spinning and tu lu fighting.
In the spinning part, the team with the longest spinning tu lu will win. More attractive is the fighting part, when players must hit the opponent's tu lu at many different distances.
The gap gradually increases after each round, making the competition intense, requiring players to have strength, dexterity and the ability to judge accurately.
Mr. Giang A Cong, Bo Sinh commune, said that tu lu is not only an entertainment game but also an opportunity for H'Mong boys to show their bravery, resilience and skills in front of the community.
Cheers, laughter and powerful spinning create a bustling atmosphere in every festival day. The H'Mong people still pass on the saying: "I hold the spinning top firmly, my eyes look straight ahead, throw the spinning top at the target, your heart bursts", as a message about youth and love.
Experiencing tu lu for the first time in Nam Nghep village, Ms. Dao Kim Dung, a Hanoi tourist, said she was very impressed with this game. "It seemed easy, but when playing directly, I realized that many techniques are needed. People guide me very enthusiastically, and local young people play very skillfully," Ms. Dung shared.
Currently, tu lu is included in many festivals and community tourism activities, becoming an attractive experience for tourists. Preserving folk games not only contributes to preserving the cultural identity of the H'Mong people but also creates more unique tourism products, spreading traditional cultural values of the highlands of Son La.
