TL;DR: Mo Mường is a complex folk belief of the Muong people, renowned for the epic 'Đẻ đất đẻ nước' - an encyclopedia of worldviews and human values. This heritage is not only a funeral ritual but also a priceless cultural, historical, and philosophical treasure, proposed for UNESCO recognition.
What is Mo Mường and is it more than just incantations?
In the diverse cultural landscape of Vietnam, Mo Mường of the Muong people in Hòa Bình, Thanh Hóa, Phú Thọ, Sơn La, and Ninh Bình stands out as a unique cultural phenomenon. It is not merely a conventional religious ritual form but a complete worldview, a folk encyclopedia preserved and transmitted through generations. According to Dr. Đỗ Quang Trọng and Dr. Nguyễn Văn Hải, Mo Mường comprises three main elements: the performance environment (rituals), the Mo texts (artistic literature), and the Mo artisans (Mo priests). This combination creates a living intangible cultural heritage closely linked to the life cycle of every Muong person from birth, through adulthood, to death.
The Role of Mo Priests in Community Life
The Mo priest is the soul of the heritage, the keeper and practitioner of the Mo verses. They are not only ritual performers but also folk intellectuals, poets, historians, and spiritual bridges between the human world and the divine. Throughout a person's life, the Mo priest appears from rituals for the safety of newborns, warding off misfortunes, healing illnesses, to wedding ceremonies, housewarming celebrations, and health blessings for homeowners. When a person dies, the Mo priest's role becomes more crucial than ever. They undertake the mission of guiding the deceased's soul through trials in the afterlife, returning to ancestors, so the living can be at peace and the dead can find liberation.
Comparison table of key aspects of Mo Mường and the epic Đẻ đất đẻ nước.
| Aspect | Mo Mường | Epic Đẻ đất đẻ nước |
|---|---|---|
| Nature | Religious ritual, worldview, folk encyclopedia | Large-scale work, the most core and monumental |
| Main components | Performance environment, Mo lyrics, Mo artisans | Not specified |
| Role | Associated with the life cycle of the Mường people | Tells of the formation of the universe, all species, human society |
| Outstanding values | Spirituality, customs, ethics, synthetic art | Historical, cultural, social research |
| Main practitioners | Mo masters | Not specified |
| Area | Hòa Bình, Thanh Hóa, Phú Thọ, Sơn La, Ninh Bình | Not specified |
| Preservation challenges | Fading, simplified rituals | Not specified |
| Preservation solutions | Comprehensive, synchronous solutions, support for artisans | Not specified |
What is the epic "Đẻ đất đẻ nước"?
If Mo Mường is a cultural stream, then the epic "Đẻ đất đẻ nước" (Birth of the Earth and Birth of the Water) is its main current, the core and most monumental part. This is a large-scale work, considered one of the longest epics in the world, narrating the formation of the universe, all species, and human society from the perspective of ancient Muong people. Its value extends beyond religious aspects to being a study of history, culture, and society.
Journey from Chaos to Civilization
The content of "Đẻ đất đẻ nước" is a long tale about the creation of the world. According to researcher and Meritorious Artist Bùi Văn Nợi, this epic is tied to the history of the ethnic group and humanity. The story begins in the era of "birth of earth, birth of water, birth of sky" when the world was in chaos and humans lived in primitive conditions. From there, the epic recounts the arduous journey of humans discovering fire, learning to spin silk and weave cloth, finding rice seeds, building houses, forming families and societies, and reaching the pinnacle of creating bronze tools and constructing palaces. Thus, the epic is not just a spiritual chant but a poetic chronicle of human societal development from primitiveness to civilization.
What are the spiritual values and moral lessons of Mo Mường?
Beyond its epic value, Mo Mường contains profound spiritual and customary values. The Muong believe that death is not the end. After death, the soul goes to another world called "Mường Ma" (the realm of the dead). This world is initially dark and unfamiliar; the soul needs a Mo priest to guide and instruct it to adapt, recognize relatives, fields, and houses, and find its way back to protect descendants. Through the Mo priest's guidance, the deceased imparts moral lessons to the living: to live humanely, love and respect others; siblings must yield, sympathize, and forgive each other. Thus, Mo Mường is not only a farewell ritual but also a forum for community moral education, maintaining cohesion among family and society members.
Artistic Value and Philosophy of Life
Mo Mường is also a distinctive synthetic artistic work. The Mo verses are poetic prose rich in imagery, using ancient Muong language with multiple layers of meaning, requiring the performer to have extraordinary memory and deep understanding. The Mo priest's performance style, with recitation, singing, and theatrical gestures, creates a sacred yet captivating artistic space. The epic "Đẻ đất đẻ nước" also expresses the Muong worldview, philosophy, and thoughts on relationships between humans and nature, humans and society, and humans and the supernatural. It is a system of values distilled over thousands of years of labor and environmental interaction.
What challenges does Mo Mường face in conservation?
Despite its immense value, Mo Mường faces severe decline in modern life. MA. Bùi Kim Phúc (Hòa Bình Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism) notes that since the 1960s, Muong funerals have been reduced to 48 hours. This has forced artisans to simplify up to 50% of rituals. The narrative Mo, once lengthy, now retains only two short stories, mainly "Đẻ đất, đẻ trứng điếng" and "đẻ Tá Cần". Trimming rituals and Mo verses inadvertently impoverishes a monumental cultural heritage and severs the transmission to younger generations.
Why does Mo Mường need comprehensive conservation solutions?
Given this situation, preserving and promoting Mo Mường requires holistic and synchronized solutions from many parties. Experts and researchers believe that active participation is needed from local authorities, cultural managers, the heritage-owning community, and relevant organizations. One urgent task is to research, survey, inventory, and assess the current state of the heritage to guide appropriate investments. Raising awareness among the community, the creators of the heritage, is key to their voluntary participation in protection, as heritage can only live on when practiced in community life.
How do you support artisans and document the heritage?
Another important solution is to have mechanisms and policies to promptly encourage reputable Mo priests through conferring the title of Meritorious Artist and providing material and spiritual support to motivate them to preserve ancient knowledge and pass it on. Additionally, documenting Mo Mường is extremely urgent. A network of artisans nationwide should be built to enhance exchange, learning, and promotion. Digitizing Mo verses, recording audio and video of performances not only ensures safe storage but also provides valuable resources for research and teaching.
How is Mo Mường reaching the world?
Preserving Mo Mường is not only the task of Phú Thọ province (before July 2025, Hòa Bình province) or the Muong community but of the entire nation. The international conference "Mo Mường and Similar Ritual Forms in the World" held in Hòa Bình was a significant step in gathering comparative evidence, affirming the heritage's unique value. International scholars such as Prof. Dr. Kim Hyong Keun (South Korea) and Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Mastnak (Germany) highly value Mo Mường and believe it meets many UNESCO criteria for intangible cultural heritage. Prof. Kim Hyong Keun also recommended increasing the heritage's visibility by translating Mo Mường into English for broader promotion before submitting a dossier to UNESCO for consideration of listing as heritage in need of urgent safeguarding. This journey is not only about seeking a title but also an opportunity for the Muong community to reflect on and take pride in its cultural treasure, thereby becoming more conscious of preserving and promoting the values left by ancestors.
