The beauty of the New Year's water fetching custom of the San Diu people

Not only the San Diu people, some ethnic groups such as the Dao and Tay also have the custom of fetching water at the beginning of the new year, with the concept that the cool water at the beginning of the new year is a lucky thing, a source of life for people. Therefore, when the moment of the new year changes, before dawn, depending on the ethnic group, people carry tubes, bamboo poles, and buckets to fetch water from the source or clean rivers and lakes to bring home for use.

The San Diu people often get water on New Year's Eve at the source of streams and creeks to pray for a lucky new year.

Mr. To Van Luu, Party Secretary, Chairman of Binh Dan Commune People's Committee, Van Don District (Quang Ninh) said: With more than 95% of the commune's population being San Diu people, for generations, my family and the people here have maintained the custom of fetching water at the beginning of the year. At the moment of the new year, people bring pipes and buckets to fetch water from the source of streams and streams, bring it home, scoop a cup, place it on the altar to burn incense for their ancestors and use it for family activities. Bringing clean water home at the beginning of the new year is the first step of the year, wealth will flow in like water, luck, everything will go smoothly, crops will be good, and the family will be peaceful and happy.

The custom of fetching water at the beginning of the new year also shows the wish for good luck to come to the family throughout the new year, it is an expression of gratitude to supernatural beings who have given water - life to all creatures. Accordingly, in the belief of fetching water at the beginning of the new year, the San Diu people all believe in the Water God and before fetching water, they all prepare offerings at the place where the water will be fetched to worship the Water God Ha Ba.

San Diu people in Vong Tre village, Binh Dan commune, Van Don district get water from the stream for daily activities.

Originating from the consciousness and belief in the Water God, people use clean water collected during the sacred moment when Heaven and Earth are in harmony, so that all family members can use it to cook, boil water to drink, wash their faces, and offer it to the altar, hoping that everyone will be healthy, happy, peaceful and prosperous.

Mr. Ngo Van Quang, San Diu ethnic group, in Vong Tre village, Binh Dan commune, Van Don district said: We often prepare offerings such as incense, banh chung, wine, votive paper money, rice and salt, then choose the New Year's Eve moment to go get the first water of the year from the streams. After praying to the Water God, the water will be used for cooking, drinking, washing the face, some families even scoop a cup and place it on the altar to burn incense for their ancestors.

It is known that Quang Ninh province is currently implementing a pilot plan to build, preserve and promote the cultural identity of 4 ethnic minority villages associated with community tourism development in the mountainous areas of Quang Ninh province, period 2023-2025, including San Diu village in Vong Tre hamlet, Binh Dan commune, Van Don district.

The plan aims to preserve and promote the traditional cultural values of the San Diu ethnic group currently living in the locality, to preserve traditional culture, and to prevent cultural loss in the context of increasingly deep and wide international integration. At the same time, promote traditional cultural values through community tourism development, to promote local ethnic culture, as well as enhance national pride, create sustainable livelihoods for indigenous people, and contribute to "green" growth in the requirements of modern economic development.

The appearance of the new rural area of Binh Dan commune is increasingly spacious and clean.

Currently, people in Vong Tre village, as well as Binh Dan commune, are actively responding, implementing, collecting, and restoring agricultural tools, as well as always paying attention to environmental protection, collecting garbage, planting trees and flowers to create a green, clean and beautiful environment.

However, in response to current practical requirements on protecting the ecological environment, protecting water resources and upstream forests for sustainable development, these are always among the key tasks that Quang Ninh provincial authorities are resolutely implementing.

Preserving and spreading the custom of fetching water at the beginning of the year for generations of the San Diu people as well as other ethnic minorities is a way for previous generations to educate their children and grandchildren to be aware of protecting the community's environment. This is a belief with cultural and educational values, so people always remind each other to have a sense of responsibility in preserving and protecting nature, protecting water resources to maintain life and develop in a sustainable direction - Mr. To Van Luu added.

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