This weekend, Hanoi locals and tourists can experience Northwest Ethnic Spring Festival cultural activities at Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism, Son Tay Town, Hanoi.

The program "Welcoming Spring in the Village" will be held on January 13 and 14 with spring folk games of northern ethnic groups.

Khmu woman plays gong in a traditional ritual. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times

 It's part of the Spring Fragrance of the Northwest program held at the venue throughout January with the participation of about 100 people from ethnic groups such as Nung, Tay, Dao, Hmong, Muong, Lao, Thai, Khmu, Ta-oi, Katu, Bahnar, Sedang Raglai, Rade, Khmer from Hanoi and ten provinces in the northern, central and southern regions.

During the two-day event, ethnic minority groups will showcase their traditional handicrafts, musical instruments, cuisine, spring cultural performances and typical traditional folk arts, including the Thai Xoe dance (people dancing together in a circle), bamboo pole dance, Vi Dam folk singing of the Central Region, gong performances, bell dance, turtle dance and others.

The Khmu people of Son La Province will perform the Ma Gro ritual on January 21 to pray for blessings. This ritual takes place every year after the harvest (around the 11th and 12th months of the lunar calendar). It is also the biggest ceremony of the year for the Khmu people and has a deep spiritual and religious significance. The ceremony takes place in each family and involves everyone in the village.

The offerings to the ancestors are very simple and include only roots and tubers such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, taro, pumpkins and gourds. Each house must also have a pair of chickens (one male, one female). Families slaughter more pigs, chickens and ducks to celebrate Ma Gro.

On the 30th of January, there is a ceremony where people erect the Cay Neu (a tall bamboo pole with offerings and objects to pray for good fortune and ward off evil) to begin the Lunar New Year celebrations. This is a long-standing and significant traditional custom for many ethnic groups. The bamboo pole not only represents the meaning of "getting rid of the old, welcoming the new" as a spiritual symbol, but also conveys the meaning of good living. The Vietnamese consider the pole to be the axis of the universe, the pillar that connects heaven and earth. Erecting the pole is an activity that takes place regularly every year at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism.