Ma Coong drumming festival

Ma Coong people live in Thuong Trach commune, Bo Trach district, Quang Binh province, with a population of more than 2,000 people living in 18 villages among the great Truong Son mountains. Like many ethnic groups in Vietnam, the Ma Coong people also have their own Tet. It usually takes place on the morning of January 15 to 16 of the lunar calendar every year and is known as the drum beating festival, with the purpose of praying for a new year of bountiful crops, favorable rain and harmony, and prosperity in the village.

The ceremony was prepared by the people a few days ago, the villagers built a small cottage on the vacant land in the village. The drum is solemnly hung in the middle, at every festival the drum is renewed, the body of the drum is made of a special hollow tree trunk, the drum face is made of the skin of wild animals if no one can made of cowhide, buffalo leather instead. Together they made the drums and prepared the offerings for the ceremony. Each village brings offerings to contribute to the ceremony, the indispensable offerings in the ceremony are sticky rice, can wine, chicken, stream fish, and rattan tree trunks.

After the village elder finished the ceremony, the most fun part came. The old people gathered around the bottles of wine to drink and chat with each other. The young people, the people in the village use rattan trees to knock on the drums, the rhythm is very regular according to the gongs outside, creating vibrant sounds. People in the village believe that if they use a drum to beat the podium before dawn, that year the people here will have a year of good luck and a good harvest. On the day of the festival is also the occasion for couples to meet each other, they send their greetings and make a date to become a husband and wife. The festival continues in the flickering light of the fire, alternating with the sound of drums and gongs until the morning the festival ends. Currently, with the unique characteristics of the Ma Coong drumming festival, it has been included in the national intangible cultural heritage. If you come to Quang Binh at the beginning of the year, you will witness this unique festival.