Central highland ethnic group's culture to be showcased

Folk cuisine, art, games and handicrafts, as well as agricultural products of the community will be presented in the Village for Vietnam Ethnic Culture and Tourism in Son Tay District, some 40km west of the city centre.

Co Tu artists from Quang Nam Province will perform folk music and dance, and display traditional ways of decorating houses and weaving of embroidery.

A ceremony to celebrate a new communal house (Guoi, in the local language) and a traditional wedding ceremony will be held for visitors.

Co Tu people have built a large Guoi (communal house) made of bamboo and wood in each village to hold public gatherings. They believe that the house hosts the souls of their ancestors and that the people living there should love and help one another. Various communal ceremonies are held in Guoi houses, such as harvest festivals and friendship celebrations, between two neighbouring villages.

Co Tu people often gather at Guoi houses to sing, play gongs and exchange news in their free time.

The wedding ceremony of the community includes folk songs and exchange of wine invitations between the families of the groom and the bride.

The two families also worship heaven and earth gods, as well as their ancestors. The bride's family gives gifts to the newly-wed couple. The wedding ends with the killing of a buffalo to wish for the couple's happiness, a large harvest and good health for all villagers.