Every year, when all the farming work is finished, the Pa Then ethnic people hold a Fire Dancing Festival to celebrate the bountiful harvest and wish everyone and every family good health and peace.
 |
| A special reenactment of the Fire Dance Ceremony. (Source: VNA) |
On the evening of November 4, within the framework of the first Cultural Festival of ethnic groups with a population of less than 10,000 people, taking place in Lai Chau province, the Pa Then ethnic group in Tuyen Quang province reenacted the Fire Dancing Ceremony, attracting a large number of people and tourists.
Fire dancing festival - one of the unique cultural features in the religious life of the Pa Then ethnic group, is a testament to the strength of human beings in life and the desire to control nature for survival and development. Fire dancing festival also has the meaning of connecting the community and preserving many traditional cultural values from generation to generation.
Every year, when all the farming work is finished, the Pa Then ethnic people organize the Fire Dancing Festival to celebrate the bountiful harvest, wishing everyone and every family good health and peace. For the Pa Then people, the supreme god is the god of fire and fire brings them luck.
The fire dancing ceremony officially begins at around 7pm. At the beginning of the ceremony, the shaman lights candles and places offerings on the offering tray. The offerings include a pig, wine, offering paper, incense, etc.
After that, the shaman will light 3 incense sticks and stick them in the incense bowl on the table, then light 3 more incense sticks and stick them on the ground next to the chair where the shaman sits. Next, the shaman sits on the worship chair, holding a bamboo stick and tapping on the dirty wooden instrument while shaking the hoop, his body bouncing up and down with each tap, his mouth reciting a prayer stating the reason for organizing the fire dancing festival in the Pa Then language. When the shaman taps on the wooden instrument and performs the ceremony, the fire dancing participants (men only) will sit opposite the shaman and be "possessed".
When the gods agreed, the shaman ordered his students to start lighting the firewood. Then, he returned to the altar, banged on the dirty zither and shook his body continuously, while reciting prayers.
After the sacrificial ceremony ended, the Pa Then boys began to participate in the Fire Dance Festival without fear or feeling burned amidst the cheers and encouragement of many locals and tourists.
 |
The "shaman" artist performs a ceremony to help the actors get into character. Only those who can get into character can dance on fire with bare feet and hands, jumping and catching fire. (Source: VNA) |
When the music started and the shaman called for about 20-30 minutes, each young man started to shake, his eyes naturally changed, his head shook back and forth... They said that the gods from heaven had come down and possessed those people. Just like that, they jumped into the middle of the red-hot fire, with bare feet and using their hands to pick up the coals, the coals covered the dancers in a bright red color.
When one person finishes jumping out of the pile of hot coals, another person follows, sometimes two or three people jump in at the same time.
They struggled in the red-hot fire, cheered and applauded by the spectators who seemed to not feel the heat of the coals. Meanwhile, the shaman continued to play the instrument and recite the prayer, joining in with the dance of his students, his whole body shaking violently on the chair.
 |
| The actors, after being cast into the fire by the shaman, extinguished the burning coal without getting burned. (Source: VNA) |
When their strength was exhausted, they were pushed out of the fire, returned to their seats and swayed to the music, waiting for the gods to give them strength for another dance. After a while, their bodies shook again, their heads shook continuously, and then suddenly they took turns rushing into the fire to dance with the hot coals.
The fire jumping part continues for about an hour until the fire is completely extinguished. When the fire has died down and the coals have cooled, the shaman continues to bang the dirty table, praying to send the gods back to heaven and asking the gods and saints not to possess the fire jumpers anymore, so that they can return to their normal state.
 |
| After the shaman performs a fire-jumping ceremony, the actors will use their hands to extinguish the burning coals without getting burned. (Source: VNA) |
At this time, the teacher's students gradually regained consciousness. Strangely, they did not feel any pain or burns. The fire dancing ceremony ended. The shaman read a prayer to thank the gods for coming down to entertain the villagers, praying for the gods to bless the villagers with prosperity and good health. He promised to invite the gods to come down and participate again in the next fire dancing ceremony.
Witnessing the Fire Jumping Ceremony with her own eyes, Ms. Hoang Kim Oanh from Lai Chau excitedly said that it was the first time she saw the ceremony and found it very fun and interesting. This ceremony is mysterious because the young men rush into the fire without getting their hands or feet burned. Ms. Oanh said that this is the most unique and curious ceremony of all the ceremonies she has ever witnessed.
 |
| Bare feet and dirty hands after jumping into a burning coal fire but not burned. (Source: VNA) |
With the historical, cultural and scientific values of the heritage, on June 1, 2023, the Fire Dancing Festival of the Pa Then people in Tuyen Quang province was recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Thereby, raising awareness and responsibility of all levels, sectors and people in preserving and promoting the value of the heritage; at the same time, connecting people with the community, close to nature, and friendly to the environment.
Source
![[Photo] Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chairs Government Conference with localities on economic growth](https://vstatic.vietnam.vn/vietnam/resource/IMAGE/2025/2/21/f34583484f2643a2a2b72168a0d64baa)
Comment (0)