This traditional folk festival honoured the ethnic and cultural identity, promoting the historical, cultural and tourist potential of the two communes of Hang Kia and Pa Co to domestic and international tourists.
The festival included the ritual of erecting the Neu pole, a sacred symbol of repelling bad luck and bringing good luck for the new year.
After the ritual, locals and visitors joined a bamboo flute dance and a Khen panpipe performance, threw cloth balls, enjoyed local cuisine and watched ethnic sports competitions, such as shooting with a crossbow, pushing sticks, and pounding glutinous rice to make cakes.
The Mong live mostly in Vietnam’s northern mountains. In the spring, they gather to celebrate the Gau Tao Festival, praying to genies for favourable weather, fertility, peace, and prosperity.
