Lai Chau (VNA) - The Vietnam-Laos-China ‘con’ festival, themed “Colour offriendship”, will take place in Muong Te district, the northern mountainousprovince of Lai Chau from December 29-31.
The sixth event of this kind will gather nearly 1,000 artists and athletes fromthe three countries.
In addition to ‘con’ throwing competitions, the three-day festival will featurefolk games, a show of traditional costumes, an exhibition and a trade fair onVietnamese consumer products and cultural exchange activities.
Speaking at a press conference in Lai Chau city on December 11 on the organisationof the festival, Vice Chairman of the Muong Te district People’s Committee TranDuc Hien underlined the significance of the event, saying that it aims to enhancepeople-to-people exchange, solidarity and friendship among border localities ofthe three nations.
The biennial festival will also contribute to introducing cultural identities ofethnic minority groups in Lai Chau in general and Muong Te district in particularto international friends, he said.
‘Con’ is a small ball made from pieces ofcolourful cloths sewn together and stuffed with puffed rice and cotton seeds. Itis thrown at a bamboo hoop as part of a folk game played during the festivalsand New Year holidays of Thai ethnic communities. It is often held on aspacious and flat ground where a 15-20m high bamboo pole is erected with thetarget on top. The game has been adopted by people living in the border areasof Laos, China and Vietnam./.