Mu Cang Chai District Holds 2024 New Rice Festival

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Mu Cang Chai District Holds 2024 New Rice Festival

Monday, October 14, 2024

YBO- As part of the 2024 golden season tourism activities, the People's Committee of Mu Cang Chai District (Yen Bai Province) recently organized the New Rice Festival of the Hmong people at Mam Xoi Hill, La Pan Tan Commune.

New Rice Festival Procession

The New Rice Festival is a special annual ritual of the Hmong community, held during the ripe rice season to express gratitude to their ancestors and the heavens for favorable weather, a bountiful harvest, and a prosperous, happy family. It also reflects the descendants' respect and devotion to their grandparents and ancestors. This ceremony is a beautiful aspect of the spiritual culture of the Hmong people.

This is also a fundamental ritual that every Hmong man must know when reaching adulthood, as he performs it on behalf of his family and lineage to express gratitude to the ancestors with the most sacred symbol of sustenance. As a result, this ritual has been passed down through generations. In 2021, the New Rice Festival was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism as a national intangible cultural heritage.

This year, although the New Rice Festival was organized at the district level, it featured more expansive, diverse, and richer content, with more meticulous preparations.

With utmost reverence, during the New Rice Festival, the officiant represents the community in inviting the Gods—spirits of the mountains and rivers—and the ancestors to witness and bless the people with prosperity, happiness, favorable weather, and abundant harvests.

In addition to the ceremonial part, locals and visitors also enjoyed special cultural performances by the arts teams from the communes in Area 4. They were able to experience pounding sticky rice cakes and participate in traditional games such as stick pushing and tug-of-war, with athletes from the communes in Area 2 of Mu Cang Chai competing.

The New Rice Festival, held at Mam Xoi Hill in La Pan Tan Commune, not only aims to promote and introduce the unique cultural features of the Hmong people to visitors but also demonstrates the attention of local authorities to preserving and enhancing the cultural values of ethnic groups. This effort contributes to improving the material and spiritual well-being of the people and fosters unity in building Mu Cang Chai into a "Distinctive, Safe, and Friendly" destination.

Van Tuan

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