Khanh Hoa Province in recent years has paid much attention on preserving and promoting the cultural characteristics of the ethnic communities, helping to enrich the spiritual life of the local people.
Khanh Hoa Province in recent years has paid much attention on preserving and promoting the cultural characteristics of the ethnic communities, helping to enrich the spiritual life of the local people.
Khanh Vinh District organized many traditional cultural activities of the local ethnic communities, such as tomb leaving ritual, wedding ceremony, new rice ceremony, new house ceremony (Raglai people), wedding ceremony (T’rin people), tomb leaving ritual (Ê Đê people), and “còn” (a sacred ball) throwing festival (Tay people). The distinctive characteristics of each ethnic group were lively reflected through ritual acts, traditional costumes, dances, and music instruments.
Khanh Son District opened eight classes to teach 90 people how to play “mã la”, a traditional music instrument; taught epics to 25 local young people; cooperated with other units to research and collect the materials, folk songs and dances as well as translate and edit books about Raglai people and their culture. The district’s traditional hall is displaying over 100 artifacts the Raglai, for example lithophone, chapi music instrument, “mã la”, and working tools. The district also held other activities reflecting the cultural characteristics of the local ethnic groups, such as “mã la” and folk dance festivals of Raglai people, folk game contests, and craft contest for village patriarchs.
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The plans and activities to preserve and promote the cultural values of Raglai, Ê Đê, and T’rin people of Khanh Hoa Provincial Department of Culture and Sports and the localities have contributed to revive the cultural characteristics of these ethnic communities. Hundreds of “mã la”, gongs, drums, domestic appliances, and working tools are being preserved at local people’s houses or local traditional halls. The provincial Department of Culture and Sports provided 85 sets of “mã la” for the localities across the province. The provincial museum collected more than 300 artifacts relating to the ethnic communities in Khanh Hoa. Khanh Son District is preserving 92 sets of “mã la”; 622 pieces of them belong to the local people.
The preservation of intangible culture has also been effectively carried out. The revived traditional festivals so far included water wharf festival of Ê Đê people (Ninh Hoa Town), tomb leaving ritual and new rice ceremony of Raglai people, performances of lithophone and epics, and so on. Tomb leaving ritual was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as national intangible cultural heritage. The province’s cultural section has been researching on the ceremony of showing gratitude to parents of Ê Đê people, and wedding ceremony of T’rin people.
Khanh Hoa has had four eminent ethnic artisans recognized by the State so far. The province often opens ethnic language classes and organizes several cultural and music contests to help people of ethnic communities to have opportunities to exchange with each other.
The efforts and activities of Khanh Hoa Province in preserving and promoting cultural values of the local ethnic communities have produced encouraging results and received positive response from the communities.
Nhan Tam
Translated by H.N
