(VOVworld) - The northern mountainous province of Tuyen Quang on Thursday celebrated the Long Tong (going to the field) festival and received a certificate recognising the Tay ethnic ritual as part of the national intangible cultural heritage.

Long Tong (going to the field) festival (Photo: VNA)

Deputy Minister of Culture-Sports and Tourism Dang Thi Bich Lien said at the ceremony that the recognition aims to honor its values and open new opportunities for develop the local economy in combination with tourism and community culture. Ms. Lien called for ‘Tuyen Quang province to pay attention to projects to preserve, restore, and uphold the values of Then singing and Long Tong festival in line with the local economic and tourism development. It’s necessary to implement the program on preserving and developing Vietnamese cultures of ethnic groups by 2020 with focus on preserving craft villages, festivals, folk music and dances, languages, cuisine, and folk games.’

Long Tong festival, together with Then singing – both are typical cultural features of the Tay ethnic minority group in the north, were added to the list of national intangible cultural heritage early this year. A Tich Dien (going to the field to plough) ceremony followed and then visitors were invited to participate in a wide range of cultural and sports activities including stilt walking, hooting with a bow and arrows, and cloth ball throwing.