Gau Tao festival is a festival to pray for luck and destiny of the Mong ethnic group, also the biggest typical festival of the year for the Mong people. On December 31, 2022, the People's Committees of Hang Kia and Pa Co communes (Mai Chau district, Hoa Binh province) coordinated to organize the opening of the Gau Tao Festival of the Mong ethnic group. This is a traditional and typical activity of the Mong ethnic group to celebrate and welcome the Party and the Lunar New Year 2023. 

Opening of Gau Tao Festival 2023

 Gau Tao is a traditional folk festival, cultural and religious activities have existed for a long time, reflecting the beliefs, customs and practices of the Mong ethnic group held at the beginning of spring every year to pray for crops and all the best things will come to the people. Gau Tao in the language of the Mong people is playing spring mountain, meaning sacred mountain, sacred prayer.

During the festival, a tree is erected on a wide, flat ground, representing stability, the center of heaven and earth. The tree mentioned in the Gau Tao Festival bears the symbol of a sacred tree connecting heaven and earth. For a long time, every New Year comes and spring comes, the Mong people often build the bamboo tree and consider it a sacred symbol, avoiding bad luck and bringing good luck for the new year. When the tree is finished, the sorcerer performs an offering ceremony. At the ceremony, the priests burn incense and make offerings around the tree to ask the gods to bless the new year with a bountiful harvest, favorable rain and wind, and wish everyone, every house a happy, healthy, make good job, successfully plant, and well raise livestock.

Coming to Hang Kia and Pa Co in the festival season, visitors can experience with the Mong ethnic people in dancing, playing traditional games and enjoying the typical cuisine of the Mong people.

 The people of Hang Kia and Pa Co attend the festival

 Gau Tao Festival not only creates a healthy playground, strengthens solidarity and closeness for people at the end of the year, but also is an attractive destination for tourists to visit, explore and learn about the cultural beauties. The unique traditional culture of the Mong ethnic group contributes to promoting the image of the land and the highland people, promoting tourism development, contributing to poverty eradication, and improving the life of the Mong people.

The organization of Gau Tao Festival meets the aspirations and spiritual life of the Mong people and honors the national cultural identity, contributes to the image of the highlanders, introduces history and culture and contributes to promoting tourism development of the two communes of Hang Kia and Pa Co to domestic and international tourists.