Every year in November, thousands of people flock to the region to enjoy the wild sunflowers that cover the mountainside in bright yellow. (Photo kinhtemoitruong.vn) The one-week festival will be held in Chu Dang Ya and Nghia Hung communes in ChuPah district, in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai, from November11-17.
According to the organiser, festival-goers can contemplate the breathtakinglandscape created by yellow wild sunflower carpets and majestic mountains froma birds-eye view while flying together with a professional paraglider.
“Paragliding is a new tourist product expected to attract more tourists to thisyear’s festival. Tourists can enjoy paragliding to scan the natural view fromabove,” said the head of the Chu Pah District’s Culture and Information Unit, NguyenMinh Duc.
To ensure flight safety, the Gia Lai Provincial Department of Culture, Sportsand Tourism coordinated with the Hanoi Paragliding Club to conduct a safetytest with paragliding over the Chu Dang Ya extinct volcano.
After the test flight, the pilots agreed that Chu Dang Ya satisfies all requirementsfor paragliding, including weather, wind, and especially, the beautiful sceneryof the Central Highland region.
On November 11 and 12, the Son Tra Paragliding Club members will showcase bothparagliding and paramotoring performances.
Along with paragliding, traditional sports games will be held, such as tug ofwar, stilt walk, and jumping in a sack. Other activities include a running racewith the running track passing by famous sightseeing spots, a walkingcompetition to conquer Chu Chu Dang Ya peak and Chu Nam peak, whereparticipants can also enjoy the entire extinct volcano covered in yellow wildsunflowers.
The festival will also feature other cultural activities, such as thedemonstration of traditional ethnic rituals, gong performances, anddemonstrations of traditional crafts of local Jrai and Ba Na ethnic people.
Artisans from 14 communes and townships in the Chu Pah district will gather toshow off their refined skills in bamboo and brocade weaving, wooden sculpturecarving, and traditional music instrument crafting.
A demonstration of the new rice celebration, one of the most important ritualsof the Jrai ethnic group, will be held on November 12. The ceremony will takeplace in the front yard of the rong (ethnic communal house) in La Gri village,located by the Chu Dang Ya ex-volcano.
The distinctive ethnic culture can be learnt through its gastronomy. Therefore,festival-goers can enjoy several local specialities and famous agriculturalproducts available for sale at the communal house.
The annual Chu Dang Ya Wild Sunflower–Volcano Festival aims to celebrate thepeople and traditional cultural values of ethnic groups living in the area.
“This is also an opportunity for us to present and promote sightseeing spotsand cultural activities to tourists, thereby attracting investment in tourism,”said Duc, head of Chu Pah district’s Culture and Information Division.
Every year, in November, thousands of people flock to the region to enjoy thebeautiful landscape when the wild sunflowers bloom, which cover the mountainsidesin a bright yellow colour./.
VNA
