Tet pole

Every year, when spring comes, when peach blossoms bloom on the mountain slopes, the Muong ethnic people in Thanh Son eagerly celebrate the traditional New Year. In communes such as Yen Lang, Yen Son, Cu Dong..., Muong families still preserve the custom of erecting a Tet pole as a unique cultural feature in the first days of the new year.

Mr. Dinh Van Mot's family in Yen Lang commune still maintains the practice of planting the pole during Tet.

The custom of erecting a pole on Tet holiday of the Muong people living in Thanh Son is a beautiful cultural feature that has been preserved for many generations. According to tradition, from the 25th of December, families in the Muong village will choose the most spacious and beautiful location in front of their house to plant the pole with the wish to ward off bad things, welcome ancestors to celebrate Tet with their descendants and welcome luck, happiness and prosperity in the new year. This is a long-standing custom, imbued with cultural values, containing humanistic meanings, closely linked to the folk religious life of the Muong people.

In the days before Tet, every house is bustling with laughter, people will stop working in the fields to shop and decorate their houses to welcome Tet. On Tet, the ancestral altar is usually arranged, cleaned and prepared with incense by the man in the family. After this procedure, the pole is erected to welcome the new year. The pole is usually made from bamboo or a tree related to bamboo, with a straight trunk, long internodes, a round canopy, and the soil ball must be intact when dug up so that the pole can last long. On the pole are hung bundles of gold bars and gold leaves made from chopped betel leaves; along with a few sausage strings wrapped in bamboo bags; thinly sliced ​​bamboo pieces hooked together; a few pieces of bamboo woven into fish or triangles, dyed with color; and a hanging basket containing a handful of plump rice flowers. This custom is still maintained today.

The custom of inviting ancestors home for Tet.

Mr. Dinh Van Mot in Yen Lang commune, 84 years old this year, shared: “As someone who was born and raised in this land, according to the concept of the ancients, on Tet, in each Muong family, they often take 4 clusters of rice and tie them to the 4 corners of the kitchen (kitchen loft) so that on the 7th of January (the day the pole is lowered), they will take them down and pound them into food for livestock with the hope that farming and raising animals will be favorable. In addition, my family still maintains a traditional 3-room stilt house consisting of 1 room and 2 rooms, which symbolizes the culture of the Muong people”.

The Muong people in Yen Son commune still maintain the traditional culture of erecting a pole on Tet holiday with the wish for a lucky and fruitful year. Comrade Nguyen Van Thang - Chairman of the Commune People's Committee said: "Today, despite modern life, the people here still maintain the traditional beauty of their ancestors which is to erect a pole on Tet holiday because in addition to its beauty, it also has a profound humanistic meaning, educating people about love for their homeland and country, reminding children and grandchildren to be filial to their grandparents and ancestors".

In Cu Dong commune, in recent years, from the Muong people to the Kinh people have also learned this custom from Yen Lang and Yen Son communes. Mr. Phung Minh Toi, in Chon area, Cu Dong commune, happily said: Every time Tet comes, my children go to find tall bamboo trees with straight trunks, long and curved segments to erect the pole, combined with modern decorations today, thereby wishing to forget the worries of the old year and look forward to a new year with lots of luck, bountiful crops, and the growth of all things... and also to preserve the traditional culture of our people.

In addition, during Tet, the Muong people also have a “chin lun” meal - similar to the New Year’s Eve meal of the Kinh people. The Muong people usually eat this meal in the evening, with the meaning of a family reunion meal. This is an important and sacred meal with the purpose of saying goodbye to the old year and preparing to welcome the new year with the hope of better things.

In addition to the custom of erecting the pole, people also organize new dances to preserve the traditional culture of the Muong people.

Nowadays, life has changed a lot, more modern, so the Muong people's poles have also been decorated with many changes, more creativity such as: hanging more silk ribbons, lanterns, or LED lights (or flags), with the joy of celebrating the Party, celebrating Spring, celebrating the homeland, the country's renewal. The pole top must be left with natural foliage, the more beautiful the pole is, the more joy and good things will come in the new year. And especially, no matter how high the pole is, it must not be reinforced with additional poles at the base when erecting the pole.

It can be seen that the ritual of erecting the Tet pole of the Muong in Thanh Son is a beautiful custom, containing many symbols, cultural values ​​and humanistic values ​​on Tet. The image of the poles and the national flag seems to create a unique scene, unique to the Muong villages during the time when the homeland and country enter Spring.

Dinh Tu

Source: https://baophutho.vn/cay-neu-ngay-tet-227067.htm