Preserving the cultural stream

Every October, as rice fields shift from lush green to golden yellow, the Thái people prepare for the New Rice Festival (Pạt tông khẩư mấư in Black Thái language). More than just a ritual after harvest, the festival symbolizes the cultural and spiritual life of the Black Thái community.

In Thanh Yên commune, excitement for the festival can already be felt. In his stilt house in Liếng village, artisan Tòng Văn Hân, a cultural expert, carefully records the items needed for the ceremonial offerings so younger generations know what to prepare. Alongside sticky rice, chicken, stream fish, and rice wine, he reminds them never to forget the most important offering, plump stalks of new rice for the ancestors.

According to Mr. Hân, the New Rice Festival has been celebrated annually since ancient times, expressing gratitude to ancestors and praying for favorable weather and bountiful harvests. Each detail of the ceremony, from the arrangement of leaves to the offering of wine, holds symbolic meaning. However, modern life has led to its decline in many areas. To prevent loss, the cultural sector has worked with local authorities to restore the festival on a larger scale, encouraging communities to continue the tradition for future generations.

While Thanh Yên celebrates the harvest, the Hà Nhì in Sín Thầu commune express their identity through mountain and forest rituals linked to the borderland. Despite administrative changes, traditional Hà Nhì festivals like Khù sự chà, gạ ma thú (village worship festival), rainy-season festivals, and forest worship ceremonies are still preserved. Recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2019, the gạ ma thú festival is now both a unique spiritual ritual and a cultural tourism attraction. Folk performing teams also regularly rehearse and perform traditional music and dance for community events and visiting tourists.

Continuing the flow

Recently, Điện Biên has launched practical initiatives to safeguard and promote ethnic cultural identities. For example, the provincial Cultural and Cinema Center, together with Sín Thầu commune People’s Committee, held a training course for 40 participants, including commune cultural officers and folk performing team members. The course not only taught performance techniques but also methods to design cultural programs for tourists.

At Huổi Lốt village (Mường Mùn commune), the provincial Museum organized a 15-day class on making Khơ Mú traditional clothing. Young learners were guided from yarn selection and dyeing to embroidery and finishing patterns. According to museum director Đặng Trọng Hà, such training helps preserve heritage while creating products with market value, motivating communities to sustain their traditions.

Particular attention is given to small ethnic groups at risk of cultural decline, such as the Phù Lá in Sáng Nhè commune, where only 42 households with 159 people remain. Their unique village sweeping festival, held after harvest to pray for prosperity and peace, is now under research for official recognition and preservation. Deputy Chairman of the commune People’s Committee Đoàn Văn Ngọc shared that local authorities, with guidance from the Department of Ethnic Culture, are working on scientific documentation and raising community awareness to ensure its survival.

Currently, Điện Biên has 22 national intangible cultural heritages, including Then rituals and Xòe Thái dance, both recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage of humanity. This provides a strong foundation for cultural and community tourism development. The province has supported local folk art troupes, introduced heritage content into school curricula, and organized cultural exchange events, while honoring artisans for their contributions. Digitalization of cultural archives has also begun, ensuring systematic preservation and age-appropriate transmission.

These efforts breathe new life into traditional values, enabling the cultural stream to flow on, shaping the identity of modern Điện Biên people as they move toward sustainable development.