The Pà Thẻn ethnic group's pestle-pulling festival

The pestle-pulling festival is a unique traditional cultural feature of the Pa Then ethnic group and is also one of the most famous festivals in Ha Giang. This festival has many interesting and surprising aspects, reflecting the rich culture and closely linked to the daily life of the Pa Then people.

The Pà Thẻn ethnic group in Hà Giang lives in relatively low-lying areas, engaging in subsistence farming, slash-and-burn agriculture, and they often practice nomadic cultivation.

When the government began to pay attention and provide support, people's lives became more stable, and their living conditions became less difficult and impoverished. People learned to take advantage of favorable natural conditions and fertile land to develop agriculture in order to alleviate poverty.

The Pà Thẻn ethnic group chooses the pestle-pulling ceremony to take place after the rice harvest so that people have space to celebrate the harvest season and to strengthen brotherhood within the village. After the harvest, the village elders of the Pà Thẻn ethnic group gather the villagers to choose the best day for the pestle-pulling ceremony, and they have chosen the 16th day of the 10th lunar month each year as the date for this festival.

Those who participate in the pestle-pulling game are usually skilled in martial arts, strong, and have undergone rigorous training. They must also know how to chant incantations to lift the pestle off the ground, even though many young men who try to pull it down are unable to do so. The most distinctive feature is the use of incantations to lift the pestle, which attracts the attention and amazement of tourists.

To prepare for the pestle-pulling festival, usually 2 or 3 days beforehand, the master – the person in charge – uses a pestle made from a wooden or bamboo head, about 10cm in diameter and 2.5-3cm long, holding it in his hand and rotating it back and forth several times while reciting incantations.

Immediately after the shaman chanted the incantation, two strong, healthy young men from the Pà Thẻn ethnic group embraced the pestle in opposite positions. Their task was to rotate the pestle while the shaman chanted the incantation. A short time after the shaman finished chanting, the pestle would automatically lift and rotate until someone covered either the top or bottom end of the pestle with their hand, at which point it would touch the ground and the pestle-pulling ceremony would end.

The pestle-pulling festival is not only a time for the Pà Thẻn ethnic group to rest after the harvest season, but it is also an opportunity for them to worship the spirits, praying for favorable weather, a bountiful harvest, and the flourishing of crops, leading to a more prosperous and stable life for them.

During the pestle-pulling festival, the Pà Thẻn boys all wear new shirts, loose-fitting trousers, and decorate with two scarves draped diagonally across their chests and white belts. The Pà Thẻn girls, on the other hand, stand out in their bright red attire, a complete women's outfit consisting of a scarf, shirt, belt, skirt, and apron. The dominant color in the Pà Thẻn girls' clothing is red, but it is combined with other bright colors such as white by patching fabrics or weaving stripes. These costumes are rich in the colors of the Pà Thẻn ethnic group and are all hand-sewn and woven by the women themselves.

The Pà Thẻn ethnic group's "Pulling the Pestle" festival is one of the most communal festivals in Hà Giang, a time for all villagers to celebrate and relax after a bountiful harvest, while simultaneously praying to the gods for prosperity and favorable weather in the coming season. This unique festival attracts tourists with its distinctive cultural features, as well as its celebration of the physical strength of the youth, the unique traditional costumes of the girls, and the distinctive local cuisine.

The Thanh