Festival to highlight Thái ethnic culture

Features of ethnic Thái culture will be presented through various activities held in the northern province of Điện Biên on October 18 to 20.

The second Thái cultural festival will be held with the participation of 600 artisans and artists from Thái groups of Sơn La, Lai Châu, Yên Bái, Thanh Hóa and Điện Biên. A troupe from Luang Namtha Province, Laos, will also perform at the festival.

Xòe, a traditional dance of Thái ethnic people will be highlighted at the festival. Photo vietnamnet.vn

The event aims to preserve and promote Thái people’s unique culture in the process of national integration and development, according to Nguyễn Thị Hải Nhung, director of the Department of Ethnic Culture under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

“The festival will help enhance mutual understanding between Thái and other ethnic groups, strengthening national solidarity,” she said.

“It’s also a chance to introduce the cultural and tourism potential of Điện Biên Province.”

With the theme ‘Preserving and Promoting Thái Culture in the Period of Integration and Innovation’, the festival also introduces foreign tourists to the diverse culture of the country.

Various cultural, sport and tourism events will be held, including displays of traditional costumes and art performances.

Visitors can also learn brocade weaving skills and take part in folk games such as walking on stilts, crossbow shooting, and tug of war.

Visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy xòe, a traditional dance of the Thái, which has been recognised as a national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and will be nominated as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

Xòe dance is an integral part of Thái festivities, in which people hold hands and dance together. Anyone can join the dance. They clap hands, move back and forth and wave scarves.   

Another highlight of the festival is the presentation of weaving piêu (traditional embroidered scarves) of Thái women. It is not only a kind of accessory but also a cultural symbol of the Thái. Each scarf tells a story about the wearers’ feelings and character through patterns and colours.

No matter how the life of the Thái has changed, the traditional art of weaving piêu is still preserved, reflecting the aesthetic sense and weaving skill of Thái women. They wear the scarves at festivities, perform xòe dance and consider the scarves as divine protection.

The province will also take many travel companies on familiarisation trips to find new tours and travel products in Điện Biên Province.
Source: VNS