According to tradition, the New Year's pole is usually erected in front of the house on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month and taken down on the 10th day of the 1st lunar month.
However, given the many changes expected in 2025, many families erected New Year's poles before the Gregorian New Year to create a joyful and festive atmosphere to welcome the new year with renewed hope.
Erecting a New Year's pole is a traditional custom found in many ethnic communities in Vietnam, including the Tay, Nung, and Thai people in the northern provinces.
Although the form of the New Year's pole and the timing of its erection may differ somewhat among ethnic groups, the common thread is a focus on meaningful and auspicious things in the new year.
Having settled in the Central Highlands since the 1990s, due to initial hardships, the Tay, Nung, and Thai people were unable to maintain the custom of erecting New Year's poles, so this tradition temporarily faded away.
Over the past three years, along with socio-economic development, people's lives have become more stable and prosperous, and they have begun to revive the custom of erecting the New Year's pole as a way to "anchor the soul of the homeland" in this new land and also to preserve the beautiful traditional culture of the Vietnamese people.
Thirty-two years after leaving her hometown of Thanh Hoa to settle in Gia Lai , Mrs. Pham Thi Yen (of the Thai ethnic group, Son Binh village, Chu A Thai commune) still vividly remembers the legend of the ceremonial pole that her grandparents told her.
"This is a leisurely time for farming, so families have more time to take care of and decorate the New Year's pole to make it more beautiful. It's not simply a form of decoration; the New Year's pole is also a symbol of supernatural power that helps ward off evil spirits and eliminate bad luck from the old year; at the same time, it conveys hopes for a prosperous and happy new year," Mrs. Yen explained.
Having left their hometown of Cao Bang to settle in Phu Thien in 1990, after many years of hard work, now that their lives are more prosperous, Mrs. Nong Thi Tiem's family (residential group 5, Phu Thien commune) and many other Tay people in the commune have decided to revive the tradition of erecting the New Year's pole.
According to Mrs. Tiem, in the past, people used to go into the forest together to choose beautiful bamboo stalks with long, healthy joints, free from insect damage or broken tops, and with lush green leaves to make New Year's poles. But now, bamboo is grown and sold readily by many people in the commune, making it much more convenient.
While last year a bamboo stalk cost only 100,000 VND, this year, due to the impact of storms and floods, many bamboo groves have been knocked down, causing the price to increase to 300,000-500,000 VND per stalk.
Decorating and erecting the New Year's pole requires the collective effort of all family members. This fosters greater unity and closeness among everyone.
“Along with erecting the New Year's pole, the family still preserves some traditional Tay dishes for Tet such as braised pork belly, five-colored sticky rice, smoked meat… This is a way to remind our descendants not to forget their roots and also to help those of us who are far from home to ease our homesickness.”
"It's wonderful to be in my second homeland where everyone feels like they're returning to their birthplace," Mrs. Tiem said emotionally.
Not only the Tay, Nung, and Thai people, but also many Kinh families in these localities enthusiastically erected ceremonial poles in front of their houses as a way of expressing joy in life, a way of creating their own hope through the shimmering, magical scenery along the roads.
Mr. Tran Khac Thuc (from residential group 5, Phu Thien commune) shared: “Joining in the festive atmosphere with the people in our group, this year, my family also erected a New Year's pole to pray for good things in the new year. Seeing the entire road brightly lit by the pole every night, everyone feels excited and more confident in the future.”
Responding to the practical needs, groups of craftsmen have been formed specializing in decorating New Year's poles for the people. Mr. Pham Minh Ai (residential group 1, Phu Thien commune) said: The cost of making one New Year's pole is about 2-3 million VND. Depending on each family, the pole will be decorated in many different ways.
Lanterns and national flags are usually hung at the top of the tree, while twinkling lights are wrapped around the trunk. Over the past two weeks, the group has made 60 New Year's poles for households in the two communes of Phu Thien and Chu A Thai.
Despite the large number of orders, the team strived to design New Year's poles that were both aesthetically pleasing and safe and sturdy for the community.
Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/dung-neu-don-tet-som-post577024.html
![OCOP during Tet season: [Part 3] Ultra-thin rice paper takes off.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fvphoto.vietnam.vn%2Fthumb%2F402x226%2Fvietnam%2Fresource%2FIMAGE%2F2026%2F01%2F28%2F1769562783429_004-194121_651-081010.jpeg&w=3840&q=75)
Comment (0)