Every year, at the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, when peach and plum blossoms bloom across the hillsides, the Mong people in Pa Co commune joyfully celebrate their traditional New Year. This year's New Year atmosphere in the highlands is even more vibrant thanks to the large number of tourists who come to visit and experience the customs with the locals.
The women in the family meticulously attend to every detail of the floral patterns and stitches on their traditional costumes to welcome the new year.
To celebrate the traditional Lunar New Year, the Hmong people in Pà Cò usually start preparing by cleaning their houses and brewing corn wine early. To have new clothes for their relatives to wear during the New Year, the women in the family spend a whole month diligently drawing patterns and perfecting the embroidery on the dresses and blouses. About 4-5 days before Tet, they put aside their farming work and begin preparing sticky rice for making rice cakes, drying pork and sausages in the kitchen loft, and buying additional food, sweets, and candies.
Many traditional dishes of the local people were carefully prepared.
For the Hmong people, the important tasks to be completed on the 30th day of the Lunar New Year, similar to the Kinh people, revolve around cleaning the house, decorating, and arranging items on the ancestral altar. According to custom, they choose a green bamboo branch, tie three strings (green, red, and yellow) to it, and insert an incense stick to make a broom. They believe this will ward off all illnesses, misfortunes, and bad luck from the old year and bring good fortune to the household in the new year. The sweeping is performed by the head of the family early in the morning on the 30th day of the Lunar New Year.
Once the house is tidy and clean, the homeowner proceeds to decorate the ancestral altar. On the Hmong altar, a layer of white paper cut into floral patterns is pasted. This paper is replaced once a year on the 30th day of the Lunar New Year. In addition, all daily work tools are cleaned and decorated with red paper. They believe that Tet (Lunar New Year) is a time to show gratitude to those who contributed to their work, so these tools are also given a rest during Tet.
Mr. Phang A Pao from Cha Day village said: "The Hmong people mainly live by farming. Therefore, farming tools are very important to each family. During Tet (Lunar New Year), the Hmong people often 'seal' these tools, for example, dismantling the corn mill, putting away farming equipment... and covering them with traditional paper."
On New Year's Eve, Hmong families gather together to share a meal and celebrate the new year. Like the Kinh people, the Hmong New Year is an occasion for them to exchange wishes for health, good fortune, and peace, and to wish each other a prosperous year and a bountiful harvest.
During the Lunar New Year holidays, the men in the family wake up early to do household chores such as cooking rice and feeding the buffaloes, cows, pigs, and chickens. According to Hmong tradition, men are the pillars of the family and are responsible for all the major and minor tasks in the house. Afterward, women take on other smaller tasks and prepare for the new year.
Celebrating the Hmong New Year in Pà Cò offers visitors many unique cultural activities to experience and explore. First and foremost is enjoying the cuisine with delicious dishes that are rich in the flavors of the Northwest mountains.
During the Lunar New Year, depending on the number of family members and guests visiting, the Hmong people will slaughter a chicken or a pig to prepare a delicious meal to enjoy and entertain guests.
According to Hmong custom, the first thing the host does on New Year's Day is to perform a ritual inviting ancestors to witness and celebrate the New Year with the family. Afterward, people visit each other's homes to exchange New Year greetings. During this time, esteemed guests from afar, including foreign visitors, often enjoy experiencing this custom in Pà Cò. Hmong families always welcome guests with warm hospitality.
In recent years, alongside agricultural production, many Hmong families in Pà Cò have developed community tourism with homestay models providing accommodation services. The Hmong New Year, which lasts for many days, is an opportunity for tourists to experience the natural beauty, culture, and unique customs of the region.
Tourist Luong Ngoc Thinh (Kien Giang) shared: "My travel companion and I explored many places before choosing Pa Co as the final destination of our journey. Celebrating Tet with the Mong people was a memorable experience for us because we got to discover their culture and very ordinary way of life."
In particular, during the Hmong New Year, the Gau Tao festival is held to pray for blessings, express gratitude to ancestors, and wish for a prosperous year for livestock farming, bountiful harvests, and the safety and health of descendants. For the Hmong, this is considered the biggest festival of the year. This religious activity includes both ceremonial and festive parts with many attractive activities, drawing large numbers of visitors from all over. Besides the Gau Tao festival, the Hmong also have many other spring excursions.
The traditional Mong New Year lasts for one month. Immediately after its end, the Mong people join the rest of the country in celebrating the traditional New Year of their ethnic group. The Mong villages of Hang Kia and Pa Co are attractive community tourism destinations, drawing many tourists to explore and experience the fun and unique festival activities: pounding sticky rice cakes, playing the khene (a type of bamboo flute), throwing pao (a type of ball), playing tu lu (a traditional game)...
Content and photos: Bui Minh
Source: https://baophutho.vn/kham-pha-tet-cua-dong-bao-mong-o-pa-co-244895.htm
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