New Rice Festival - A cultural beauty that needs to be preserved

In the cultural tradition of the Stieng people, the New Rice Festival is one of the biggest festivals of the year. This is a unique traditional cultural activity of the Stieng people, with the meaning of thanking the gods for bringing a bountiful harvest, favorable weather, and praying for a healthy and prosperous new year. At the same time, it is also an occasion for villagers to gather and share the joy of a good harvest. However, over time, the New Rice Festival is gradually fading away, because villages and hamlets rarely organize it, and the elders do not pass it on to the next generation.

In order to preserve and promote the good values ​​of the festival, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Binh Phuoc province has organized a restoration of the New Rice Festival of the Stieng people at the Stieng Ethnic Cultural Conservation Area in Bom Bo commune, Binh Minh commune, Bu Dang district. The restoration of this festival is of important significance, aiming to concretize the Resolution of the 5th Central Committee, Session VIII on "building and developing an advanced Vietnamese culture imbued with national identity"; Resolution No. 33-NQ/TW dated June 9, 2014 of the 11th Party Central Committee on building and developing Vietnamese culture and people to meet the requirements of sustainable national development; Plan No. 271/KH-UBND dated September 23, 2022 of the Provincial People's Committee on implementing the National Target Program on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in 2022.

Below are some special images of the New Rice Festival recorded by reporters of the Department of Culture and Information of Bu Dang district.

Offerings include a pig's head, chicken, soup, rice wine, rice, and a gourd, all of which are placed on a pole for the village elder to worship the gods.

The gong and cymbal team leads the way, beating the gongs and cymbals as they walk, followed by the village elder, followed by young men and women in the village carrying offerings and moving into the house to worship the rice granary.

Offering to the rice barn is the first offering in the New Rice Festival.

After finishing the rice barn offering, everyone went out to the yard to offer thanks to the gods and heaven and earth.

Before offering thanks to heaven and earth, people dance and beat gongs around the pole.

After everyone settled down, the village elder began to worship. Everyone stood solemnly around the pole to listen to the village elder's worship.

Elderly people play flute after the village elders make offerings

After the offering, the village elder and everyone drank rice wine and used the offerings.

After the ceremony, everyone participated in traditional folk games such as pounding rice, carrying water, cooking sticky rice...

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/le-hoi-mung-lua-moi-net-dep-van-hoa-can-duoc-bao-ton-3245503.html