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Ma Le Hamlet is situated near Lung Cu
Mountain in Dong Van District, Ha Giang Province. Although it is small, it
contains many interesting things.
Ma Le Hamlet has only about 20 houses but it contains most of the typical
cultural features of the Day ethnic group. Day ethnic people live close to and
in friendship with people of other ethnic groups, such as the Mong, Lo Lo Chai,
Pu Peo… but they still retain their own characteristics.
Day ethnic women in Ma Le Hamlet wear a long dress, green or black, which is
buttoned from the neck to the underarm, and its flaps stretch to the shins,
similar to the long dress of the Kinh people. The waist is tied by a belt made
of black cloth, which holds bamboo strings and a knife while working. Day women
roll her hair into a ring covered by a colorful kerchief, which is matched with
a delicately embroidered pair of shoes. It takes a woman a couple of months to
adorn her shoes with beautiful embroidered patterns. The common patterns usually
symbolize marital happiness, such as couples of butterflies or lovers, two peach
flowers…. Day women often wear a silver bracelet, a key chain and a necklace and
they very few jeweler pieces made of metal. The Day have a special technique for
building a house. In the past when forests are abundant they used wood to build
houses-on-stilts with foundations and pillars made of stones. The pillars are
carved with beautiful patterns.
Now in Ma Le Hamlet still remain two houses-on-stilts made of wood, which are
100 years old and owned by the families of Hoang Van Huong and Hoang Van Nanh.
These houses are frequented by culturists and foreign tourists who come for
purposes of visit and research.
Day people have a specific technique of grafting stone and carving wood and
stone, which is shown in products with decorative designs of daisy flowers,
multi-colored lanterns, windows made of bamboo splints and stone pillars carved
with lotus flower patterns.
Over the past nearly 100 years, due to the decrease in forest areas, Day ethnic
people build their houses with dirt. There are two ways of building earthen
houses: People stuff pasty earth into the frames of walls or mix pasty earth
with straws to make bricks and then build the house. This material is simple but
durable in the sunny and windy weather on Dong Van Plateau. Both kinds of houses
have similar interiors, including the middle compartment serving as a
worshipping place and a sitting room for male guests, a compartment on one side
serving as a kitchen and a sitting room for female guests and a compartment on
the other side serving as a bed room. The roof of the housefly has garrets both
inside and outside the hoofer storing rice, and guests are not allowed to enter
this area. Around the house, there are stables for raising cattle and storing
agricultural product-processing tools. During New Year Holidays, Day ethnic
people stick red amulets containing prayers for luck written in Chinese
characters everywhere including the cattle stable. Then they prepare for making
black square cakes. This kind of cake resists mould berate sticky rice used to
make the cake has been soaked in ash water. The stuffing of the cake is green
beans mixed with natural aromatic spices that create the specific flavor of the
cake. Day people also have a specific technique of making smoked pork. They
stuff salted pork mince into the pig’s intestines and put them on the
smoking-shelf until they are dry. Guests are often treated with this dish
together with wine made from a special ferment. Day ethnic people in Ma Le
Hamlet still Oriental medicines bequeathed by their ancestors. Healer Lo Dinh
Thieu possesses hundreds of remedies, which have been handed down orally but not
written in books. He is busy all day long with patients who come from many parts
of the country.
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