The 11th Festival of Culture, Sports of Ethnic Minority Groups in Binh Dinh is going to be held. This will be the second participation of athletes and artists from Phu Cat district. They, hence, are very eager to join the festival and engrossed in practice and rehearsal.
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Patriarch Phan Chi Thanh is rehearsing his instrumental performance. |
Go Gia Trung village (Thach Ban Tay hamlet, Cat Son commune) was established 20 years ago. It has now 8 households with 34 Bana people who came from mountainous areas of Vinh Thanh district. Although they have settled there with Kinh ethnic people for such a long time, they still keep their own cultural values and traditions.
Tra Huong village (Cat Lam commune) was set up nearly 10 years ago and has now 10 households with 50 Bana people who also came from Vinh Thanh. In spite of their poor living conditions, they are highly aware of preserving their own cultural characters. They built communal house together as soon as they set up the village to keep the spiritual values of ethnic minority community.
Moreover, the village’s patriarch Phan Chi Thanh (84 years old) is good at making and performing various instruments, Tra Huong villagers are deepened passions for their traditional music.
Although the Bana villagers from the two villages didn’t get high prizes in the previous festival at Tay Son district, they left good impression. The participants were all happy and aware more about the preservation of their culture. The chance of participating this year’s festival at Vinh Thanh district inspires enthusiasm among young villagers, encourage them to join the big event.
“Most of the participants of Go Gia Trung village are villagers,” said patriarch Dinh Thom (70 years old). “We also choose 9 skilled youths to join the festival. I myself spare no efforts to teach them crossbow shooting, xoang dancing as way to prove that Bana people at Phu Cat district are always aware of preserving their traditions and cultural characters”.
Tra Huong villagers are utterly dedicated to the practice and rehearsal. 3 officials from Phu Cat Centre of Culture and Sport are assigned to help them in the practice and rehearsal. The young villagers will enter competitions in most of games except volleyball because of athlete lack. They hope to get prizes in cross-hill athletics and football.
Not far away the practicing field, patriarch Phan Chi Thanh is rehearsing his instrumental performance with tens of various unique instruments at the village’s communal house. His performance is highly expected to win prizes.
“The meaningful event is going to take place at its original land of Vinh Thanh. I can’t but join in the festival. I have to ask a relative of mine from Vinh Thanh to take care of my wife, who is old and blind, during the time I will be absent from home, expected a couple of days,” – said the old patriarch.
After many days of highly committed practice, all of the Bana ethnic people from the two villages Go Gia Trung and Tra Huong are now ready to enter coming competitions.
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