|
|
Tug-of-war game.
Joining in a folk game.
“Reply to the midwife” game.
Hopping with one foot in
pairs.
Playing “Blind-man’s buff”
game.
| The
hamlet-worshipping festival or Cam Muong festival of the Lu ethnic group
in Nam Tam Commune, Sin Ho District of Lai Chau Province was held between
the 24th and 26th day of December (the
15th and 17th day
of lunar October). During the festival, outsiders are not allowed to enter
the hamlet where the villagers organize religious and entertainment
activities of their ethnic group. This is an opportunity for children to
play the folk games handed down by their forefathers.
According to the elders of the hamlet, long long ago there was an epidemic that
killed a lot of children. Many people thought that the Lu ethnic people
living at the foot of the Phieng Cha mountain range (also called dragon-head
mountain) did not hold the worshipping ceremony so they were punished
by the dragon genie. Since then the villagers have prepared offerings
to worship the hamlet's genie and prohibited outsiders to enter the
hamlet. On this occasion, they also organise folk games, showing the Lu
people’s wish to conquer the mountain range and control Nam Lo Stream and
for their children to become strong men and diligent, elegant
women.
The most
attractive game to children is the “Dragon hatches eggs”. In this game,
children collect three smooth stones from Nam Lo Stream as the dragon’s
eggs and entrust a healthy little boy to lie on the “eggs” to keep other
children from taking the “eggs” away. The game reflects the Lu’s wish to
multiply and honour the Phieng Cha mountain which has protected and
safeguarded the Lu people.
In the
“Reply to the midwife” game, children put forward questions and the
village midwife gives the answers. In the game, children stand in a queue
in front of the midwife, then one after another the children hop to the
midwife to ask her questions about the hamlet, ancestors and the process
of existence and development of their ethnic group. This is an effective
way to popularize the typical cultural identities of the group among the
children.
On the
third day of the festival, the children gather at a clearing in the hamlet
to play community games such as tag around a circle, blind-man’s-buff,
etc. In tag, children hold each other’s hands into a circle and send a boy
or girl to stand inside to represent a chicken and another to stand
outside signifying a crow. The children standing in the circle have the
task of preventing the crow from catching the chicken. The elderly say
that this game aims to enhance the children’s sense of solidarity to
protect one another as well as the weak in daily activities.
The games
are organized over three days, making a boisterous atmosphere throughout
the hamlet and fields. All children try to win, with a wish that in the
New Year, they will be lucky and healthy to be able to go deeper in the
forests and clear more new grounds to grow rice and maize.
|
“Dragon hatches eggs” game.
|
“Stick pushing” game.
|
By
Thong
Thien | 
