The Pu Peo people's custom of singing contests with roosters
This is a strange New Year custom of the Pu Peo ethnic group in Ha Giang province. On New Year's Eve, the Pu Peo people will stay awake to watch over their rooster. When the rooster flaps its wings and prepares to crow, they will light a firecracker and throw it into the coop to make the roosters in the coop jump up and crow loudly.
Tet is also an occasion for Pu Peo people to gather, exchange, dance and sing.
When the rooster crows, the Pu Peo people also sing loudly. For the Pu Peo people, the rooster crow is a sign to wake up the sun, starting a new good day. Therefore, whoever sings loudly and strongly enough to drown out that sacred crowing will surely have a lucky and happy new year.
The custom of worshiping bowls of water of the Pa Then people
On the ancestral altar of the Pa Then people in Ha Giang, there is always a bowl of water. This bowl of water must be clean water taken from the source of the clearest, cleanest stream in the village and must be covered all year round and the Pa Then homeowner is never allowed to let the water in the bowl run out. Each year, the homeowner is only allowed to open the bowl of water twice, at the end of June to add more water and on the 30th of Tet to replace the bowl with a new one.
The Pa Then shaman performs a ceremony to pray for luck for every village and hamlet.
Accordingly, on the night of the 30th of Tet, families in Pa Then will close the door, seal all the air vents in the house and cook a pot of chicken porridge for the whole family to gather to celebrate Tet. After eating the porridge, the homeowner will take down the bowl of water that has been on the altar all year round to clean and change the water. This work must be done discreetly because the Pa Then people believe that if outsiders see the sacred bowl of water being cleaned or changed, the family will have bad luck in the new year.
Lo Lo people wake up their livestock to celebrate Tet
For ethnic minorities, livestock is an important part of the family economy. Therefore, the custom of waking up livestock to celebrate Tet is an indispensable New Year tradition of the Lo Lo ethnic group.
Lo Lo ethnic people in Ha Giang
When the New Year comes, at the moment the first rooster crows in the village, the Lo Lo people will wake up all the livestock in the house to welcome the New Year with the whole family. In addition, they will also hold a ceremony at home to pray for the New Year. Men will be offered a rooster and women will be offered a hen.
Fortune telling custom of castrated pig liver of Ha Nhi people
Pigs are important livestock of ethnic minorities in the northern mountainous region. Not only do they have economic value, this animal also has some important meanings to some ethnic groups, such as the Ha Nhi people in Lai Chau.
According to the traditional New Year customs of the Ha Nhi people, each family raises a male pig. On the first day of the year, they will castrate the pig, saving it for the following New Year to slaughter it to worship their ancestors. Pork is an indispensable dish on the New Year's tray of the Ha Nhi people, regardless of whether the family is rich or poor.
The Ha Nhi people slaughter pigs not only to celebrate Tet but also to perform fortune telling at the beginning of the year.
When slaughtering a pig to prepare for the New Year feast, the Ha Nhi people pay special attention to the liver. If the pig's liver is intact, bright red in color, and the gallbladder is full, that year's livestock farming and business will flourish, the weather will be favorable, and the family will be happy.
The Muong people's custom of calling the buffalo spirit back to celebrate Tet
Considering “the buffalo as the head of the family’s fortune”, during Tet, Muong people do not forget to let this important animal celebrate Tet with their family. A few days before Tet, they often prepare a gong, so that after New Year’s Eve, they can light a torch to call the buffalo’s spirit. Not only that, Muong people also hang strings of round cakes on daily working tools such as plows, harrows, carrying poles, etc. to invite these “close friends” to celebrate Tet.
This strange New Year custom of the Muong ethnic group has a very humane meaning, expressing people's gratitude to the loyal animals that have helped their owners with farming all year round. The Muong people believe that after a year of hard work, the buffalo or the plow both deserve to rest.
Thai people call the soul on Tet holiday
An indispensable and unique custom of the Thai people on Tet holiday is the calling of souls. On the evening of the 29th or 30th of Tet, each family slaughters two chickens, one to worship the ancestors, the other to call the souls of the family members.
The Thai people's process of inviting the deceased home to celebrate Tet is also quite elaborate.
The shaman will take the clothes of each family member, tie one end together and drape it over his shoulder. He will hold a burning stick in his hand, bring it to the village entrance and call the spirit. After calling 2-3 times, the shaman will go to the foot of the stairs of the family and call one more time. Finally, the shaman will tie a black thread around the hand of each family member to ward off evil spirits.
Butt-slapping custom of the H'Mong people
The Hmong people in the northern mountainous region have very rich and colorful holiday customs. In the first days of the year, they will hold festivals in large areas, organizing games such as stick pushing, tug of war, panpipe dancing, singing and responding competitions...
The beginning of the year is also an occasion for boys and girls to date and flirt. In a crowd, if a boy wants to express his feelings for a girl, he will approach and pat her butt. If the girl agrees, she will pat the boy's butt in return. As a rather special "getting acquainted" act, according to custom, if a boy and a girl fall in love, they will pat each other's butt 9 times in front of everyone, then they will officially become a couple, and can take each other up the mountain to find a place to date and confide.
This is an indispensable custom in Sai San spring festival or also known as Gau Tao, one of the most important festivals of the year of the H'Mong people, held with the purpose of praying for blessings and love. This festival has been preserved intact from ancient times to the present day. In addition to slapping buttocks to express love, Sai San festival also has many interesting activities such as throwing pao, playing the flute or singing love songs.
