“Vietnam now has a total 7,966 festivals, of which folk festivals account for over 90%. However, traditional festivals of ethnic minority groups related to their belief, religious and daily life have been falling into oblivion”, said the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

In implementing national cultural targets for the 2000-2010 period, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has decided to budget for helping ethnic minority people restore over 50 traditional festivals.

Typical folk festivals to be restored include the New Year Festival of the Giay group in Meo Vac in the northern mountainous Ha Giang Province, the Nang Hai (Damsel of the Moon) festival in northern Cao Bang Province and the Nghinh Ong (Whale Worshipping) festival in Mekong Delta in Kien Giang Province, to name a few.

Restoring the festivals will help improve the cultural life of ethnic minority people in these areas.

Source: HNM

Translated by Vu Hung