Early Tet celebration in the Dao village

As is customary, every year, starting from mid-December, the Dao ethnic people in Binh Lieu district excitedly celebrate their early New Year. According to Dao customs, the early New Year celebration is held at the ancestral house of the clan head (the ancestral home) – the place of worship for the ancestors of each Dao clan. After the celebration at the ancestral house, families are then allowed to celebrate the early New Year at their own homes.

When the peach blossoms bloom, the Dao villages become bustling with the atmosphere of celebrating the Lunar New Year early.

Every year, whenever we receive invitations to celebrate the Lunar New Year early from our Dao friends and relatives in the villages and hamlets of the district, we feel a warm sensation – as if we were also part of the family. Arriving in Sam Quang village, Dong Tam commune, at the invitation of Mr. Chiu A Tai, we felt even more strongly the warmth and lively atmosphere of the early New Year celebration among the people there. Not noisy or boisterous, the early New Year of the Dao people is simple, rustic, yet warm and sincere.

Chìu A Tài shared: “Although we are the younger generation and have left to work elsewhere, it has become a tradition that every year, no matter where we are or what we do, in the twelfth lunar month, we return home to celebrate the early Tet (Lunar New Year) of our ethnic group. Before that, at the ancestral home, our family had already celebrated Tet early, so from the 15th day of the twelfth lunar month onwards, families in our lineage will celebrate Tet early according to their individual circumstances.”

Ms. Diep, the wife of Mr. Chiu A Tai, is cleaning the house to prepare for Tet (Lunar New Year) early.

Although this isn't the first time we've celebrated Tet early with relatives, each time we attend a clan gathering, we feel like we're long-lost children returning home to reunite with our families, greeted warmly by everyone.

Ms. Phùn Thị Mai, from Phiêng Sáp village, Đồng Tâm commune, added: “According to the customs of our Dao people, Tet here usually begins from the 15th day of the 12th lunar month to the 30th day of the 1st lunar month. People believe that since we have invited our ancestors to help protect our homes and crops for the year (performed in the New Year's ritual), we must have a thanksgiving ceremony at the end of the year. After holding a communal Tet feast at the ancestral house, families in the clan are then allowed to return to their own homes to prepare for Tet.”

The offerings of the Dao ethnic group are very simple, consisting of humble agricultural products grown or raised at home, such as chicken, pork, sticky rice cakes, glutinous rice cakes, stir-fried vegetables, rice, etc.

Preparing for the Dao family's early New Year's feast.

Like other ethnic groups, the Dao Thanh Phan people believe that during Tet (Lunar New Year), their ancestors return to reunite and celebrate the holiday with their families. However, instead of buying gold and silver paper, the descendants meticulously prepare stacks of yellow paper, made from acacia bark, and then stamp them with black oil so that their ancestors have "travel expenses" to return home. When all the offerings are placed before the ancestral altar, the family invites a shaman to represent them, reporting on the past year's activities, thanking the ancestors for their blessings, and praying for good fortune, peace, favorable weather, and a bountiful harvest in the new year. After the ceremony, the homeowner burns the gold and silver paper for the ancestors, and the offerings are brought down and placed on a tray for the descendants to share. The ancestral altar of the Dao Thanh Phan people is like a small house placed on the right side, close to the wall in the central room of the head of the clan's house, enclosed on three sides, with the remaining side used for offerings and incense burning. When there are important events, the Dao Thanh Phan people offer sacrifices to their ancestors for nine generations, but on a daily basis, they only offer sacrifices to three generations.

In each Dao family, they will invite a shaman to perform a ceremony to thank their ancestors for blessing the family with a peaceful and prosperous year.

Just like the Dao Thanh Phan people, from the 15th day of the 12th lunar month onwards, the Dao Thanh Y clans in Binh Lieu district are busy cleaning their houses and calling on relatives and friends to help with slaughtering pigs and chickens, wrapping cakes, etc., to celebrate Tet early with the whole family. The warm atmosphere and strong sense of community have dispelled the cold weather, leaving only the joyful sounds of laughter and conversation as the villagers gather together to celebrate Tet after a year of hard work.

The ancestral altar of the Dao Thanh Phan people.

For the Dao people, the early New Year celebration is held on an auspicious day chosen by each clan. The celebration takes place at the clan head's house (ancestral house) – the place of worship for the ancestors of each Dao clan. The date is announced to all families in the clan. Each family attending the early New Year celebration brings offerings (chicken, pork, wine, sticky rice, incense, gold paper, etc.) to contribute (or contribute money) to help organize the celebration.

Families living in the same village all come together to help with the necessary tasks. According to the head of the clan's arrangement, each person voluntarily takes on their assigned role. The women cook rice, pick vegetables, prepare spices, and make traditional dishes; the men and strong young people pound rice cakes, butcher pigs and chickens; and the elderly help the shaman cut paper offerings and arrange ceremonial items…

Tet, the Lunar New Year, is an occasion for Dao ethnic group members to reunite after a year of hard work.

As December arrives and the peach blossoms begin to bloom, in the Dao villages, Dao clans gather around a festive New Year's meal, filled with warmth, unity, and the fragrant essence of spring. They entrust not only their wishes for a new year and hopes for a more prosperous and progressive life, but also their love, respect, and commitment to preserving their homeland's traditional culture.

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