Khau Vai love market is a festival held in Khau Vai village, Khau Vai commune, Meo Vac district, Ha Giang.
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Ma Pi Leng Pass in the mountains and forests of Ha Giang
If you go self-sufficient, from Hanoi to Ha Giang about 320km, then continue 170km to Meo Vac. It is possible to follow 2 routes:
- From Hanoi, take Noi Bai – Lao Cai highway (road only for cars). Arrive Vinh Phuc -> Viet Tri -> Phu Tho -> Tuyen Quang. From Tuyen Quang, follow Highway 1 to Ham Yen -> Bac Quang -> Vi Xuyen -> Ha Giang. From Ha Giang city continue to Tam Son -> Yen Minh -> Sung La junction, Pho Bang -> Sa Phin junction -> Lung Cu -> Lung Cu flagpole -> Dong Van old town -> Ma Pi Leng pass -> Meo Vac.
- From Hanoi to Lang – Hoa Lac, direction to Thang Long Boulevard (with roads for both motorbikes and cars) -> towards National Highway 21 to Son Tay -> Son Tay go through Trung Ha bridge -> Co Tiet -> Phong bridge Chau -> take road 32 -> to Phu Tho turn left to Highway 2 -> go straight to the roundabout Highway 2C -> Ham Yen -> Tuyen Quang. Then follow the route as above to Meo Vac, Ha Giang.
If you go by intercity bus, you can go to My Dinh bus station. There are flights every morning, afternoon and evening. Ticket price 130,000 – 150,000 VND with seats. The night bus costs 180,000 VND/person, but driving at night, you will not be able to enjoy the scenery on both sides of the road.
If the above options are too complicated, you can choose the Ha Giang tour from Hanoi to get a full package from accommodation, accommodation, tickets to attractions, and shuttle bus and guide throughout. journey to help you better understand this majestic mountain region.
When is Khau Vai love market held?
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Upland festivals are usually held in the spring, when the farmers are more relaxed, people often hold rituals to pray for favorable rain and wind for the whole year. So is Khau Vai love market. Every year on the 27th of the third lunar month is a market meeting. This tradition has been around for nearly 100 years, from documentary sources stating that the market started in 1919. Previously, the market only met on exactly 1 day of March 27 of the lunar calendar, but now it is combined with cultural and advertising activities. Promotion of local culture should usually be held for about 3 days, suitable for tourists going on a Ha Giang tour who want to come and explore.
Origin of Khau Vai love market
The word ‘Khau Vai’ in Tay – Nung language means ‘thorn pass’. But many documents use a bias to ‘Khau Vai’. Visitors to Ha Giang also jokingly call this market Phong Tinh.
The origin of this fair begins with the legend of Ba guy from Nung ethnic group and Ut girl from Giay ethnic group. They love each other passionately but because they do not have the same ethnic group, do not share the same ancestors or customs. Moreover, he is the son of a poor family and she is the daughter of the Giay patriarch. Therefore, their relationship is forbidden.
They took each other to a cave on Khau Vai mountain to hide and live day to day. However, below the village, the relatives of Ms. Ut carried a bow and crossbow to scold the boy’s family for taking her away. The boy’s family also brought sticks and knives to beat the girl’s family. From the cave on the mountain, the two people saw the scene of their relatives stabbing each other for their sake, they were heartbroken but had to part, return to fulfill their obligations to the family. Before parting, they promised to go to Khau Vai every March 27 to sing to each other and talk about what happened during a year apart. After spending the night together, the next day they will return to their normal lives. When they are old, they will come here on the last day of their lives, embrace each other, and go to eternity together. The day they left was also March 27. The villagers mourned this difficult predestined relationship, so they built 2 shrines to worship Mr. and Mrs. and used this day as a market day for couples who missed their predestined relationship.
What activities does Khau Vai love market have?
In the beginning, the market was not to sell anything, but just a place where people came together. These people may be separated from each other due to difficult love, family prohibition, or other reasons that cannot come together, each of them holds a never-ending thought like the legend of the old couple. . Therefore, this day is for them to talk after a year or more apart, to inform each other’s current situation. These broken love scenes are each person’s past. So the married people come here, the wife is not jealous, the husband is not jealous. They respect each other, respect each other’s past, consider it a responsibility for each other’s spiritual life. At the end of the market, they returned to their daily lives, making an appointment to come to the market next year.
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This is the rustic and simple cultural beauty of Khau Vai love market. Although there are now many shops “following” the market, making it gradually commercialized, but the nature of the market is still very attractive to Ha Giang tourists to learn about the culture.
Also due to the identity praising this pure love couple, Khau Vai love market is now organized as a festival, a tourist product for tourists to visit. Every festival will have a Ceremony and a Festival.
In the ceremony part of the love market, Khau Vai people will offer sacrifices to Ong and Ba shrines as to remember their roots, the people who reclaimed land to reclaim Khau Vai village and to honor the couple’s love. The village elder who presides over the ceremony will offer incense to ask permission to start the festival.
Source: Collected internet.