Deputy Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage Nong Quoc Thanh, authorized by the leaders of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, presented the Certificate to the leaders of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Van Yen district and Na Hau commune. (Photo: Dinh Thuy/VNA)

On the evening of February 26, at Na Hau Commune Stadium, the People's Committee of Van Yen District, Yen Bai Province, held a ceremony to announce the Decision and award the National Intangible Cultural Heritage certificate for the "Forest Worship Ceremony" of the Mong people, Na Hau Commune and the Forest New Year in 2025.

Na Hau Commune is located in the core area of ​​Na Hau Nature Reserve, with a natural area of ​​over 5,640 hectares, of which special-use natural forests are over 4,500 hectares.

The whole commune has more than 500 households with over 2,500 people. Although their lives are still difficult, they always unite to protect the forest by traditional laws passed down from generation to generation.

For the Mong Na Hau people, the forest is a source of life, a shelter and a spiritual support for the whole community; people set up regulations and covenants on forest preservation and protection, which are respected by the community and passed down from generation to generation.

Every year, on the last day of the first lunar month, the villages in Na Hau commune, Van Yen district, gather in the forbidden forest, the sacred forest of the village to celebrate the Forest Festival. Although life is increasingly modern and has many changes, the Mong Na Hau people still maintain this good custom.

Deputy Secretary of the District Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of Van Yen district Hoang Viet Hoa emphasized that the forest worshiping ceremony of the Mong people in Na Hau commune being recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage is not only a great honor for the Mong community here, but also a great responsibility for the Party Committee, government and people of Van Yen district in preserving and promoting the value of this precious heritage.

The District Party Committee, People's Council and People's Committee of Van Yen district are committed to preserving intact the traditional values ​​of the Forest Worship Ceremony; strengthening research, collection and documentation programs on the Forest Worship Ceremony to fully preserve the rituals, prayers, offerings and sacred space of the ceremony; supporting artisans, village elders and village chiefs in teaching the cultural values, language and customs associated with the ceremony to the younger generation.

The district focuses on educating the younger generation, including organizing extracurricular programs and disseminating information in schools about the meaning and value of the Forest Worship Ceremony. The district integrates heritage conservation with the development of ecotourism and community tourism; strengthens forest management and protection, strictly handles acts of encroachment and illegal exploitation of forests that affect the local ecological environment; combines forest conservation with the development of medicinal plants under the forest canopy, contributing to increasing people's income, creating motivation for the community to join hands in protecting natural and cultural heritage.

After the Certificate Award Ceremony, delegates, people and tourists enjoyed an art program with the theme "Echoes of the Forest Tet - Brightening Na Hau." (Photo: Dinh Thuy/VNA)

After the Certificate Awarding Ceremony, delegates, people and tourists enjoyed an art program with the theme "Echoes of the Forest Tet - Brightening Na Hau" and a fireworks display with the theme "Brilliant fireworks - In the middle of the Na Hau forest."

The entire Van Yen district has 12 ethnic groups living; of which the Mong people account for 4.89%, and Na Hau commune alone has 99% of the Mong people living. Van Yen has great potential for developing agriculture, industry, tourism and is proud to be the land that preserves intangible cultural values ​​of ethnic groups such as the Cap Sac ceremony of the Red Dao people, the Long Tong festival of the Tay people, and the Tet forest festival. Of which, the Dong Cuong Temple Festival and the Forest Worshiping Ceremony were recognized as National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism./.

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/ha-giang-tet-cung-rung-cua-nguoi-mong-o-na-hau-la-di-san-van-hoa-phi-vat-the-post1014598.vnp