(VOVWORLD) - Central Highlands Gongs Festival 2018 which will take place this weekend in Gia Lai province aims to preserve gong cultural space as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
 A gong performance in the Central Highlands |
The cultural space of gongs in the Central Highlands was recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in November 2005. The recognized cultural space includes gongs, music played by gongs, gong players, events where gongs are played such as new rice celebrations or rituals to pray for favorable weather, and gong festival venues, which include long houses, tall thatch roofed communal houses, water wharf, grave houses, and forests near hamlets in the Central Highlands.
The “Gongs and Central Highlands Folk Festival” will feature 1,200 artists from five provinces, traditional folk sculpture; a workshop on conserving gong culture, and exhibits of ethnic costumes. Phan Xuan Vu, Director of the Gia Lai Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, said: “The festival will highlight folklore. The people and communities are owners of the gong cultural space. Last year and early this year, all communes, districts, townships, and cities in Gia Lai province held gong festivals, a prelude to the Central Highlands Gongs Festival 2018.”
On this occasion, travel agencies will introduce new tours and community-based tours for visitors to explore scenic spots and the life of local ethnic people.