Preserving the Ban Vuong worship ceremony of the Dao people - Ha Giang

Besides the fire dancing ceremony, the Dao ethnic group in Hoang Su Phi district (Ha Giang) also has another strange custom, which is the Ban Vuong worship ceremony. The Dao ethnic group has many customs that bear a strong spiritual imprint. Among them is the Ban Vuong worship ceremony - the ancestor who gave birth to 12 branches of the Dao ethnic group, namely the families: Ban, Trieu, Dang, Phuong, Ly, Le, Phung, Truc, Tran, Truong, Hoang, Sam.

According to legend, although he was a king, Ban Vuong still maintained a simple lifestyle, close to nature. He always advised his children to work hard and produce. Once, Ban Vuong and his entourage went hunting in the mountains, chasing an injured mountain goat. Unfortunately, he was gored by the mountain goat, fell into a hunchback tree and died there. Ban Vuong's body got caught on a tree branch, so his children cut down the tree to make a drum, chased the mountain goat to get its skin to make a drum to worship Ban Vuong. Since then, every year around the second lunar month, Dao descendants from generation to generation must remember the anniversary of Ban Vuong's death, showing gratitude to their ancestors who gave birth to them.