Unlike the bustling markets we usually visit for agricultural produce and commodities, the Khau Vai Love Market – the most unique market in Ha Giang, is a folk cultural and religious activity, held only once a year.
The Origin of the Love Market and the Legend of Mr. and Mrs. Temple
The Khau Vai Love Market Festival (also known as the Khau Vai Love Market) was formed in 1919 and is a legendary tale about the ill-fated love between Ut, a Giay ethnic woman, and Ba, a Nung ethnic man. They were deeply in love, but their different ethnicities, ancestors, and customs stood in their way. Their love was forbidden, and heartbroken, they promised to meet again on the 27th of March every year to confide in each other and reminisce. In their old age, on the last day of their lives, they embraced and passed away together. The day of their death was also March 27th. The villagers, touched by their tragic love story, built two temples to worship them and designated this day as a market day for couples who had missed their chance at love.
“Wait for me till the cold season ends
Wait for me to pass the peach blossom season
Crossing the Ma Pi Leng Pass
We will meet again at Khau Vai Love Market”
Recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage, the Khau Vai Love Market has become a magnet, attracting the attention of many when visiting the northernmost region of the country. Located on a hill in Khau Vai village, Khau Vai commune, Meo Vac district, Ha Giang province, the Khau Vai Love Market is one of the oldest markets in the area, with a history of over 100 years.
According to tradition, on the 27th day of the third lunar month every year, people gather at the Khau Vai Love Market. This tradition has been preserved for more than 100 years since the market’s inception in 1919. Originally, the Khau Vai Love Market was only held on the 27th day of the third lunar month. However, nowadays, to promote local culture, the market has been extended to three days, making it convenient for tourists to visit and experience during their journey of discovering the mountainous region of Bac Giang.
No one knows how old the Khau Vai market is, but it has certainly awakened many long-forgotten loves.
Inspired by this legendary love story, Professor Dr. Nguyen The Ky wrote a poem called “A Corner of Khau Vai,” which later evolved into a play and then a novel called “The Love Story of Khau Vai.” You can find and read this novel to discover more fascinating details about this unique market.
Khau Vai Love Market – Where Husbands Meet Old Flames and Wives Encounter Past Lovers, All Without Jealousy or Resentment
Over time, the Khau Vai Love Market has become a place where people reunite after a year or even many years apart. Before 1991, those who came to the market were mainly those who had faced obstacles in their love lives and could not be together. Now, even though everyone has their own destiny and partner, on the day of the Love Market, they return here to confide and share stories about their lives. It is also an opportunity for them to reminisce and recall beautiful memories. Here, under the witness of the mountain rocks, they sit and share stories of joy and sorrow.
Held only once a year, this market always attracts locals and tourists alike.
One unique aspect of the Khau Vai Love Market is that many couples come together but then part ways once they arrive. Wives go to meet old lovers, and husbands do the same, all without any jealousy or resentment. Instead, they offer each other and their former flames respect. According to them, this is a sacred tradition, and it is their duty and responsibility to their spouse’s spiritual well-being. However, everything that happens during the market day must stay there, and once it’s over, they must close that chapter and not dwell on the past.
Before 1992, the market-goers were mainly locals from Meo Vac district. But since then, people from surrounding areas, including Cao Bang, Bac Kan, and Tuyen Quang, have also started attending. Attendees are mostly couples from the Tay, Nung, and Giay ethnic groups from Nậm Ban, Tát Ngà, Niêm Sơn, Lũng Pù, Sơn Vĩ, Thượng Phùng, and other communes in Bảo Lạc district, Cao Bang province…
Distinctive Activities at the Khau Vai Love Market
The Khau Vai Love Market is divided into two parts: the Ritual and the Festival. During the Ritual, people offer sacrifices at the temples of Mr. and Mrs., reminding them of their ancestors who first settled and developed the Khau Vai village. The village elder takes on the role of the main officiant, offering incense and seeking permission to open the festival.
In the Festival part, people participate in various engaging activities such as the Hwamei bird fighting contest, cultural exchanges, artistic performances, and exciting folk games. Groups of five to seven men and women gather to sing and dance together, with the Giay and Nung people performing the “Coil” and the Tay people singing “Sli” folk songs, all revolving around the themes of longing and love.
The Khau Vai Love Market is indeed a unique market where buying and selling take a back seat to love and connection.
Here, they exchange emotions and sincere wishes, and young men and women have a chance to meet and get to know each other. Perhaps someone who comes alone will leave with a partner. If you plan to visit the northeastern region of Ha Giang, make sure to include this extraordinary market on your itinerary.
The festival aims to preserve and promote the traditional cultural values, full of humanity, and the legend of love with attractive and touching power, creating a positive impact on the community about the beautiful values in modern life today, contributing to the building and development of social and family moral standards, and love.
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