Hanoi (VNA) ꧃– To Mong ethnic people in Na Hau commune of Van Yen district, the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai, forests are a source of life, a source of livelihood, a shelter, and also a source of spiritual support for 484 households with 2,490 people here.

They believe that the God of Forests is the guardian of their villages, granting bumper crops and protecting them from all natural disasters and epidemics. Therefore, the belief and custom of worshipping the God of Forests have been passed down from generation to generation. To locals, the forests are not only a resource and an environment but also the origin of culture. Traditionally, Mong people in Na Hau commune hold the forest worship festival, also called the Forest Festival, on the last day of the first lunar month in a year. Via their biggest and most important traditional festival, local residents pray to the God of Forests for wealth and prosperity. The festival begins with the procession of offerings to the prohibited forest. Its unique and solemn ritual that takes place at the entrance of the forest and under the shade of an ancient tree. The offerings to the God of Forests include a cock, a hen, a black pig, wine, incense, and handmade paper. At an auspicious hour chosen by the group, the village shaman offers incense and prayers to invite the God of Forests to enjoy the offerings, protect locals, and grant good weather and bumper crops to locals. In 2023, the forest worship festival in Na Hau commune was held on February 18 and 19, which were the 28th and 29th days of the first month in the Year of the Cat. Rituals are followed by festivities with a wide range of traditional cultural activities. Typical products of Mong people are also sold at a traditional fair as part of the festival. After the festival, villages in Na Hau commune practice a forest prohibition for three days to express gratitude to the God of Forests. On these days, people are banned from cutting trees, bringing home fresh foliage, harvesting bulbs or bamboo shoots, digging land, letting cattle wander, hanging clothes outdoors, grinding corn, or pounding rice. Na Hau is a particularly disadvantaged commune located in the core of the Na Hau Nature Reserve. The over-16,000ha reserve spreads across the communes of Na Hau, Dai Son, Mo Vang, and Phong Du Thuong of Van Yen district, Yen Bai province. It is home to a rich forest ecosystem typical for the northern mountainous region of Vietnam, with a great diversity of rare fauna and flora species. With the belief that protecting forests, forests will protect them in return, local Mong people have included the protection of forests, especially their sacred ones, in their village conventions for hundreds of years. According to village conventions, the sacred forests must not be intruded, and no one is permitted to undertake banned practices there. Any who commits violations will be punished. As a result, the sacred forests in villages of Na Hau commune have been conserved throughout history./.