Cotillion dance: The lunar new year festival at the Museum of Ethnology will present xoan singing from Phu Tho Province. — File Photo

HA NOI — The Lunar New Year Festival with cultural activities will be organised at the Viet Nam Museum of Ethnology in Ha Noi on January 26-29.

It would be a great chance to introduce the general public to traditional customs through games, activities, and food tasting, said Vo Quang Trong, the museum's director.

"Activities at the museum provide entertainment for the people on the festive occasion and help preserve and promote the traditional culture of the ethnic groups," Trong said.

This year, the festival features xoan singing of the northern province of Phu Tho, which has been recognised by UNESCO as a piece of cultural heritage that needs urgent protection. Folk games and traditional cuisine from the province are also included.

Artists from An Thai Village, Phu Tho Province, will perform different styles of xoan singing, including the bo bo which describes the daily work of farmers who grow wet rice; the thuyen cheo expressing the dreams of prosperity of fishermen; wine offerings and singing to welcome guests and wish happiness to each other; and the dum, the most exciting singing between young men and women.

This would be the first time local artists perform singing for gods at the temples at the museum.

Beside the singing, visitors will have an opportunity to explore the traditional games of people in Phu Tho, such as catching eels in jars, walking on stilts, throwing chopsticks into bottles, and making cakes.

Like previous new year festivals, this year visitors will also enjoy water puppetry, games from different ethnic minorities such as the Mong, E De and Thai, printing Dong Ho do (poonah) paintings, wearing ethnic minority costumes, learning more about the 12 zodiac animals, and drawing on Bat Trang ceramics.

With a beautiful area of traditional ethnic houses, the Viet Nam Museum of Ethnology is a popular venue for domestic and foreign tourists who want to relax, enjoy folk art and the cuisine, and explore the ethnic culture of Viet Nam. — VNS