The Central Highland province of Dak Lak will hold a traditional ceremony inhonour of the indigenous ethnic communities’ watering places as part of itsfirst ever cultural week.

The riverside watering-place ceremony, whichwill be performed for the first time in many years, will be one of thehighlights of Buon Me Thuot-Dak Lak Tourism and Cultural Week from December16-20. Organisers hope the event will encourage youth to preserve natural waterresources.

Since traditional times, the main water supply in thehighlands has come from the upper sections of the rivers and streams, makingthese important places for the community.

“It is a very grand ceremonyof the Central Highlands people,” said Y Wai Bya, director of the provincialdepartment of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Elephants will be the mainfeature of the Legend of Central Highland Elephant Festival that is being heldduring the cultural week. “In addition to gong culture, elephants are typical tothe region,” said Tran Sy Thanh, deputy chairman of the provincial People’sCommittee.

There will be 30 elephants taking part in the festival withcompetitions including an elephant football match, an elephant running race andswimming race, and the strongest elephant competition. “But the most interestingevent is an enactment of hunting wild elephants,” Thanh added.

“Visitorscan also ride elephants around mountain tracks and streams.”

Otheractivities include a fire festival, highlands ethnic fashion show, roadsidefestivities, a wood sculpture camp, a food gala and a commerce and tradeexhibition.

Dak Lak is located in the centre of the highlands with13,125sq.km and 1.8 million people. It owes its rapid development to coffee andrubber production.

“It takes visitors nine hours by bus from HCM City,starting at 8pm and arriving in the province early in the morning so you canwake up to a warm highlands welcome,” Thanh said./.