Singing contest with... chickens
"Stealing the voice of the chicken" is a New Year's custom of the Pu Peo people in Ha Giang. When the New Year's Eve comes, the Pu Peo people have to keep an eye on the roosters. When the roosters flap their wings and are about to crow, they immediately light a firecracker and throw it into the chicken coop. The roosters are startled and jump up to crow. Immediately, everyone shouts and sings loudly to drown out the roosters' crowing. The Pu Peo people believe that the roosters' crowing is both beautiful and sacred, waking up the sun. Therefore, whoever can drown out the roosters' crowing will sing well in the new year and have good luck and happiness.
Steal for luck
On the first day of the new year, the Dao people in the villages will gather in a predetermined place to perform traditional rituals. Immediately after, from the old to the young, men and women all parade through the houses with the sound of drums, gongs, and trumpets, wherever they go, they try to steal something from the families on both sides of the road. The Dao believe that the more they steal, the luckier they will be that year.
On the contrary, if caught by the homeowner while "doing it", they will be punished by drinking alcohol and will be considered unlucky for the whole year. This custom is not materialistic, so the Dao people usually only steal things like vegetables, meat, eggs... in the kitchen as a symbol. At the end of the day, the "thieves" will return their spoils to the families to be rewarded.
Pat the butt to confess love
During Tet, Hmong boys and girls often gather at the foot of the mountain to enjoy the spring. When a boy likes a girl, he will pat her butt and hold her hand to find a place to talk all night long.
In addition, Sai San or Gau Tao festival (praying for blessings) on Tet holiday is the biggest festival of the year and represents the indispensable cultural characteristics of the H'Mong people. The festival features many cultural activities such as throwing pao - one of the games the H'Mong people love, panpipe dancing, umbrella dancing, tube singing, love songs...
Sticky ash, throw sticky rice on the roof
The Gie Trieng (living mainly in Quang Nam and Kon Tum) celebrate their traditional New Year with the name Cha Cha, meaning eating coal. According to the Gie Trieng, on New Year's Day, whoever gets the most ash from burning coal will have good luck and a bountiful harvest.
To be able to stick to the ash, 3 days before Tet, tall young men are sent to the forest to burn wood into large piles of charcoal and bring them back to the village. In addition, villagers also cook sticky rice, rub it on dry rags and burn it into ash. These two types of ash will be thrown high up and whoever gets the most ash will be the luckiest. The Gie Trieng also take a handful of sticky rice and throw it onto the roof on the first day of the new year. Whoever gets the sticky rice stuck on it will have a lot of luck in the new year.
House sealing
Like the Kinh people, the Cao Lan people celebrate Tet from the end of December to the beginning of January. About 2 days before Tet, the Cao Lan people bring red paper (called Chi Dit in Cao Lan language) to stick on the entrance door, gate, ancestral altar, mill, pig pen, buffalo pen, chicken coop... The whole house is suddenly dyed a bright red color. Because according to the Cao Lan people's concept, red paper symbolizes joy and goodness. Sticking red paper on important places is the start of a new year with the wish for peace and prosperity.
worship bowl of water
For the Pa Then ethnic group in Ha Giang, on each altar of their ancestors, there is a bowl of water used for worship all year round. This bowl of water must always be covered and never allowed to run out of water. Every year, in June, the homeowner must open the lid to add more water to the bowl.
On New Year's Eve, every house closes its doors, windows, back doors..., carefully locking them to cover all the holes leading to the outside. Inside the house, the homeowner will lower the bowl of water to clean it and replace it with new water to welcome the new year.
The above actions must be kept secret within the house. The Pa Then people believe that if the above actions are revealed or seen by others, the whole family will have bad luck next year, business will be unlucky, and will be sick all the time...
