First-ever festival for ethnic groups with fewer than 10,000 people slated for November
The first festival of ethnic minority groups with population of less than 10,000 will be held in Lai Chau city in the northern mountainous province of Lai Chau from November 3-5, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced at a press conference on October 23.
The event will gather 14 ethnic minority groups from 11 localities across the country – Lai Chau, Cao Bang, Thai Nguyen, Dien Bien, Ha Giang, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Tuyen Quang, Nghe An, Quang Binh and Kon Tum. They are O Du, Brau, Ro Mam, Pu Peo, Si La, Cong, Bo Y, Co Lao, Mang, Lo Lo, Chut, Lu, Pa Then and Ngai.
An opening ceremony will be held on November 3 night, which will be broadcast live on the Vietnam Television channel 2 (VTV2), and Radio the Voice of Vietnam (VOV).
Speaking at the press conference, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Trinh Thi Thuy said that the ceremony will be a highlight of the festival, during which art performances will be staged by artists from the participating ethnic groups.
The official underlined the urgent need to preserve the cultural values of ethnic groups with fewer than 10,000 people, stressing that the festival aims to encourage the groups to practice their cultures in the community.
The cultural beauty of the groups will also be featured in all activities of the festival, including art performances, sports activities, exhibition, sports competitions and the introduction of their festivals and cuisines, she said.
Within the framework of the festival, the participating ethnic groups will demonstrate their traditional festivals and cultural practices, and introduce their traditional costumes.
Particularly, an exhibition on the cultural identity of such ethnic groups will be organised, featuring the architectures of their villages and houses, economic activities, traditional crafts, costumes, rituals for important events in life, and folk festivals.
Participants will have a chance to join a Famtrip to local destinations and a number of localities in Laos and China.
