Going to the far West to celebrate the traditional New Year of the Ha Nhi ethnic group

The traditional New Year's Eve festival is a cultural characteristic of the Ha Nhi ethnic group in the far west of the country, in Muong Nhe district, Dien Bien province.

The traditional Khu Su Cha festival carries many cultural characteristics of the Ha Nhi ethnic group in the far west of the country. Photo: Van Thanh Chuong

In the community of 19 ethnic groups in Dien Bien , the Ha Nhi ethnic group has a very rich cultural and spiritual life that is still preserved quite intact, with little mixing or interference with other cultures. The Ha Nhi people have sophistication from women's clothing to living habits, culinary culture or spiritual culture...

In particular, the cultural identities of the Ha Nhi ethnic community are most clearly expressed during festivals and holidays such as: February festival (Ga ma thu); rain-praying ceremony; forest worship ceremony and especially Khu Su Cha festival - the traditional New Year of the Ha Nhi ethnic group.

Making banh troi - the first job to do on Tet holiday of the Ha Nhi ethnic group.

Khu Su Cha is usually held in December of the solar calendar every year, starting on the most beautiful day of the month and lasting for 3 days. This is the time when people have harvested crops, reaped the fruits of a year of labor and production and prepared to welcome a new year.

During the traditional New Year, the Ha Nhi people are required to make floating cakes, pound sticky rice cakes and slaughter pigs to worship their ancestors and gods... Each of these tasks is accompanied by quite special rituals, bearing the unique identity of the Ha Nhi people.

Rice, water, salt and wine are used to "make offerings" when slaughtering pigs with the hope that in the new year the homeowner will raise pigs that are bigger than the previous year.

Along with that, during the Tet holidays, there are many unique cultural activities such as xoe dance, conical hat dance simulating typical movements in labor, production and daily life... Perhaps from these unique cultural features combined with the inherent friendliness and hospitality of the Ha Nhi people, Khu Su Cha Tet has become a tourist "brand" in the far West that is known to many people.

In the evening, cultural exchange programs were also organized, attracting the participation of many people and tourists. At the end of the exchange, both the host and the guests joined in the traditional xoe dance of the Ha Nhi ethnic group amidst the warm winter firelight at the border of the Fatherland.

Locals and tourists hold hands and dance together in solidarity.

In addition to the cultural features imbued with the identity of the Ha Nhi ethnic group, Sin Thau commune is also known by many people for having a zero-numbered milestone (Milestone 0) - the westernmost point of the country. That is also the great potential and advantage for Sin Thau to attract and develop tourism.

Recognizing that strength, in recent years, local authorities have always paid attention to and created conditions for the Ha Nhi people to gradually restore their cultural identities through festivals and New Year. From there, they have built a mass cultural and artistic movement in the villages to maintain traditional xoè and dances; promote culinary culture and folk games...

According to the Ha Nhi ethnic group, looking at a pig's liver on Tet holiday can tell the family's fate in the new year.

In recent years, Dien Bien province has also been promoting the upgrading of A Pa Chai opening to a border gate. This is also an important factor to attract and develop tourism, services and trade in the westernmost land of the Fatherland in the coming time.

Van Thanh Chuong

Source: https://laodong.vn/du-lich/kham-pha/ve-cuc-tay-an-tet-co-truyen-cua-dan-toc-ha-nhi-1432092.html