The event is seen as a golden opportunity for tourists to learn about the people’s traditional customs and participate in folk games.

Below are photos of the New Year celebration of the H’mong ethnic minority people in Ta So hamlet.

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Ta So hamlet in Chieng Hac commune was discovered and formed by the H’mong ethnic minority people in Yen Chau district in 1964. In the H’mong language, Ta So means mugwort because the area was full of the plant when they came there.

The temperature in Ta So village is from 4-6 degree Celsius lower than that in other lowland villages in Son La. As decades have gone by, the H’mong ethnic minority people in the hamlet still uphold their traditional cultural features, especially the New Year celebration.

Unlike the Kinh people, the H’mong people in Son La celebrate the traditional Tet from the 30th day of the 11th lunar month. Going to Ta So, Van Ho, Pa Pach and Pa Khen villages these days, visitors can experience Tet atmosphere with the H’mong people.
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Hoang Van Thanh from Hanoi travelled to Ta So hamlet to learn about the H’mong’s New Year celebration, and local people invited him to stay there to celebrate Tet with them.
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In the H’mong people’s custom, locals will slaughter pigs on November 25 to make offerings to thank the ancestors and deities for helping them have a year of good health, abundant crops, and lucks. Pork will be used to make sausages, smoked ham, and dishes to serve relatives and distinguished guests. 

Chicken is also prepared as an offering to the ancestors on the last day of the lunar year.
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Giay cake (glutinous rice dumpling) is an indispensable dish in Tet meals of the H’mong people. The H’mong people think that giay cake symbolizes the Moon, the Sun, the universe, the origin of humans, and all creatures on the Earth. The bigger and rounder the cakes are, the more prosperous their lives will be. Giay cake is used as an offering to ancestors and also as gifts for guests.
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The H’mong people’s Tet meals include dishes made from pork and chicken and corn alcohol which is brewed months before the Tet celebration. Alcohol is stored in jars and covered in dried banana leaves to preserve its aroma.
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Various festivals and games are also organized for locals to meet and exchange. Apart from such folk games as crossbow shooting, stick pushing, tug-of-war, the H’mong people organize modern sports, including volleyball, football, and badminton to strengthen solidarity. Of the games, tulu is one of the favorites of H’mong children. It requires participants’ health and dexterity.
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Many H’mong youths find their other halves on the traditional Tet. On Tet days, boys and girls wear new clothes and their most beautiful jewelry to participate in folk games. This is an opportunity for them to meet and get to know each other. The H’mong ethnic minority group in Son La has the tradition of organizing weddings and engagement ceremonies in January.

Source: Vnexpress

Translated by Tran Hoai