Multi-generational families: Preserving and promoting traditional cultural values

– Currently, it is likely that the nuclear family model is developing. However, the multi-generational family model is kept alive and retains its roles of preserving and promoting traditional values contributing to preserving the family orders, creating a cultured environment for each citizen.

With the development of today’s society, traditional customs matching with modern cultured behaviors are always preserved and promoted in multi-generational families. In multi-generational families, there is a transmission of experience, life skills, behavior skills, and attitudes towards the preservation of family etiquette and good cultural traditions.

Trinh Thi Khen’s family, in Khuoi Lam village, Cao Minh commune, Trang Dinh district is a typical 3-generation Mong family in promoting traditional cultural identities. Duong Thu Hue, 10 years old, granddaughter of Ms. Khen said: Every day, my grandmother often speaks the ethnic language, teaches her to embroider costumes and sing folk songs of the Mong people which she likes a lot.

Like Ms. Khen’s family, Ms. Hoang Mui Nay’s family in Na Mo village, Mau Son commune, Loc Binh district is a Dao family with 3 generations. She often tells her children and grandchildren to preserve the customs of the Dao people such as: making yeast to cook wine and making traditional medicine… Mrs. Nay said: Currently, both my son and daughter-in-law know the techniques of making traditional wine and medicines and follow the profession of making leaf yeast and traditional medicine.

A Hmong family with 3 generations in Khuoi Lam village, Cao Minh commune, Trang Dinh district teaching young generation the techniques of making traditional costumes.

The two mentioned families are just two typical multi-generational families, living in harmony, preserving the traditional culture of their ethnic groups. In the province of Lang Son, there are currently 7 main ethnic groups, including: Kinh, Tay, Nung, Dao, Hoa, H’mong, and San Chay. Their traditional cultural values ​​of ethnic groups are promoted by multi-generational families. Therefore, all relevant levels, branches and organizations have implemented many practical activities to preserve the traditional cultural beauties in multi-generational families.

Ms. Pham Minh Hue, Head of the Office of Culture and Information of Loc Binh district, said: Currently, in the district, there are 6,293 families with 3 generations or more (accounting for 30.8% of the total number of households). In order to promote the traditional cultural values ​​in each family, especially multi-generational families, over the last time, we have mobilized people, especially ethnic minority people, to preserve and preserve their cultural identity. At the same time, we review and honor the typical multi-generational cultural families on occasion of International Day of Happiness (on March 20) and Vietnamese Family Day (on June 28). These activities help to spread positive values ​​in traditional families contributing to improving the quality of families with cultured behaviors.  in 2020, in the whole district the percentage of families was titled as Families with cultured behaviors was 83.4% increasing 3% compared to 2019.

Not only Loc Binh, other districts and Lang Son city pay great attention to preserving traditional cultures of multi-generational families. It is estimated that that there are more than 57,800 families with 3 generations or more, accounting for nearly 30% of the total number of families in the province. Family moral standards are preserved, handed down through many generations to become the moral standards of each ethnic group which are expressed through languages, behaviors, customs, practices, and national costumes. In multi-generational families, grandparents and parents also have the opportunity to update themselves with new technologies and social development and that helps to strengthen their family ties.

Ms. Ha Thi Lu, Head of Culture and Family Management Division, Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said: In order to preserve and promote family values, we have promoted educational activities on family lifestyles for ethnic groups, including honoring typical multi-generational families, organizing seminars and meetings to share experiences of building happy families and living harmoniously in multi-generational families. From 2020 to now, the steering committees of family at all levels have organized cultural and artistic activities with integrated content for families with more than 500 sessions attracting 250,000 attendees. The Provincial Film Distribution and Screening Center organized more than 1,000 film sessions about families in general and multi-generational families in particular with approximately 300,500 turns of audience.

The fundamental strength of cultural traditions in multi-generational families has been always an important factor, contributing to preserving and promoting the positive traditional cultural values ​​of the nation, contributing to building a happy and sustainable family environments and increasing the percentage of cultural families every year, for example, in 2020, the percentage of cultural families in the province was 80.8% (up 2.4% compared to 2019).