The unique Púng Hiéng Festival of the Dao Tien people in Moc Chau.

Púng Hiéng is a major clan ritual, also considered the largest festival in the Dao Tien community in Moc Chau. The Púng Hiéng festival is maintained by several Dao Tien clans through generations, held periodically every 3-4 years and lasting 4-6 days during the Lunar New Year. The festival originates from the story: In the past, the ancestors of the Tang, Ban, and Dang clans in Moc Chau were very wealthy and lived prosperous lives. They believed that this prosperity was due to the blessings of nature and the protection of the gods. Therefore, they were always ready to help their neighbors. During Tet (Lunar New Year), these clans organized large feasts and invited relatives and villagers to celebrate, thank their ancestors and deities, and pray for a prosperous new year.

The festival's performance program involved the participation of over 50 artisans, shamans, clan leaders, and grassroots cultural figures from the villages of Piềng Sàng and Suối Khem in Phiêng Luông commune. The festival was fully reconstructed and recreated according to traditional rituals, including: the New Year's opening ceremony, the welcoming ceremony for the supernatural beings attending the festival, the "Departure Ceremony" (to ward off evil spirits and demons, cleanse the house of all bad things, and bid farewell to the old year with its misfortunes and bad luck), the "Return Ceremony" (welcoming good things into the house in the new year), the thanksgiving ceremony, the harvest prayer ceremony, and the final "End Ceremony" concluding the festival. These rituals were conducted by clan leaders and experienced shamans. Following the ceremonies, the festival part began with the lively dances performed by village cultural troupes and delegates, accompanied by the resounding sounds of bells, drums, and gongs.

The festival's performance program involved the participation of more than 50 artisans.

The performance of the Púng Hiéng Festival of the Moc Chau Dao people is an activity within Project 6 “Preserving and promoting the valuable traditional cultural values ​​of ethnic minorities associated with tourism development” under the National Target Program for socio-economic development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas in the period 2021-2030. This is also a practical activity aimed at rekindling pride in the culture of ethnic minorities; motivating and encouraging people to actively preserve and protect the valuable aspects of traditional culture.

Source: sonla.gov.vn