Opening Hang Pinh festival

On the morning of September 26 (ie the 12th of the 8^th lunar month), in Lang Son city, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism held the opening ceremony of Hang Pinh festival in 2023.

Attending the ceremony were Mr. Duong Xuan Huyen, Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee; the leaders of a number of departments, boards and sectors of the province and Lang Son city.

A unique art performance at Hang Pinh festival

According to the language of Tay and Nung people, “Hang” means market, “Pinh” means baked cake, which means a market for buying baked cakes on the Mid-Autumn Festival of the Tay and Nung ethnic groups of Lang Son. According to tradition, on the 12th day of the 8th lunar month every year, people of the Nung and Tay ethnic groups inside and outside the province flock to the Ky Lua market (Hoang Van Thu ward) and the monument of comrade Hoang Van Thu (Chi Lang ward) to celebrate the “Hang Pinh” festival. For a long time, this day has become a festival for many people who come here to go shopping, enjoy baked cakes, take sips of liquor made from yeast of leaves and sing sli and luon songs together.

Mr. Duong Xuan Huyen, Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee presents Mid-Autumn Festival gifts to students in Lang Son city

Previously, Hang Pinh Festival often took place at Ky Lua market. About 20 years ago, Ky Lua market was simply organized with simple stalls, there were horizontal and vertical paths running across it with trees on both sides, visitors came to the market to shop, eat, drink and sit together along the roadsides or next to shops, or sit right at the market to sing sli and luon songs. In recent years, along with the socio-economic development, Ky Lua market has been re-planned and shops have been restructured which result in the limit for people to sing in the market. Therefore, the Tay and Nung ethnic people have come to the Monument of Comrade Hoang Van Thu (Chi Lang ward, Lang Son city) and Lang Son Provincial Museum.

Delegates visit and listen to an introduction of the process of making moon cake at the festival

Hang Pinh Festival is a space for ethnic people in the province to meet, exchange their feelings, which expresses their solidarity and close connection. This is a unique cultural beauty and a meaningful activity within a community attracting a large number of ethnic people. The organization of a folk song exchange ceremony in the Mid-Autumn Festival has created a joyful and exciting atmosphere, thereby contributing to preserving and promoting the traditional cultural values of ethnic groups in the province. This is also the first year that the province’s culture, sports and tourism sector implemented a plan to innovate the organization of Hang Pinh festival, with the central goal of building and developing the festival into a new tourism product.

The festival attracts a large number of people

At the ceremony, delegates, people in the province and tourists from near and far enjoyed special Then, Sli, Luon singing performances praising Lang Son homeland; visited the cultural space of the old Ky Lua market and tried to make moon cakes. On this occasion, the festival organizing committee awarded 20 Mid-Autumn Festival gifts to students in the city.

According to the plan, from September 26 to September 29 (from the 12^th  to 15^th in the 8^th lunar month) at the monument of Comrade Hoang Van Thu  and the Provincial Museum, many special activities will take place such as then, sli, luon singings; lion dancing, martial arts, performing arts, lay co game; recreating the cultural space of the old Ky Lua market with booths displaying essential items for life; baking moon cakes in a wood-burning oven…