The Xên Lẩu Nó ceremony is practiced in many communities inhabited by the Black Thai people in Yên Châu district, now Yên Châu, Chiềng Hặc, and Yên Sơn communes, Sơn La province.
This is home to a large concentration of Black Thai people – a local branch of the Thai ethnic group – with a traditional village system, whose livelihoods are based on wet rice cultivation, animal husbandry, and traditional crafts.
The Xen Lau No Ceremony has been included in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Decision No. 2213/QD-BVHTTDL dated June 27, 2025.
A unique ritual linked to folk beliefs and gratitude towards the "shaman father".
According to the records of the Department of Cultural Heritage, when the bauhinia and ma flowers bloom white in the forest and bitter bamboo shoots begin to sprout, signaling the arrival of spring, it is also the time when the shaman and his adopted children eagerly prepare offerings and make flower trees to hold the Xen Lau No ceremony at the house of Shaman Mot.
Mo Mot is a healer who can cure illnesses for the Black Thai community through folk religious practices. Those he cures become his adopted children, called "luk lieng" in the Black Thai language.
During the Xên Lẩu Nó festival, the adopted children will return to Mo Một's house to thank their ancestors, the spirits, and especially to express their gratitude to the "father mo" - the one who saved the villagers from illness and misfortune.
The Xên Lẩu Nó ceremony usually lasts for three days, but the scale and duration can vary depending on the number of people cured by Mo Một. After choosing an auspicious day, Mo Một informs his adopted children, relatives, and villagers so they can prepare and arrange their schedules to attend the ceremony.
Preparations usually begin weeks before the main ceremony. Mo Mot sends people into the forest to find bitter bamboo shoots, pick bauhinia flowers, horse flowers, pip flowers, and hook-shaped plants, and cut bamboo to make the "bong tree"—called "xang bok" in the Black Thai language. The "bong tree" is skillfully crafted by Black Thai men, shaped to symbolize animals, money, mon flowers, beehives, dragon nests, bird nests, etc. These images symbolize fertility, growth, and the connection between the earthly and spiritual realms.
The flowers on the "xặng bók" tree also symbolize gratitude for the merits of Mo Một and the deities who have blessed the community throughout the past year. The Black Thai people believe that, through this flower tree, the deities will continue to bestow blessings, bringing peace, prosperity, and abundance in the new year.
On the first day, Mo Mot performed a ceremony to ask permission from his ancestors and the spirits to hold the ritual. After the offering, he signaled to his adopted children to erect the "xang bok" tree.
On the second day, after Mo Mot's family had arranged the offerings on the ancestral altar and the altar dedicated to the patron saint of their profession, the adopted children successively offered their own offerings, which were placed along the walls of the house.
Mo Một and his two assistants perform the main rituals, which include: the ritual of inviting the spirits (Pông phí một), the ritual of inviting the spirits to partake of the offerings (Án pan), the ritual of worshipping ancestors (Tam phí hươn), the ritual of worshipping the village tutelary deity (Đông tu xửa), and the ritual of worshipping adopted children (Tam khuốn lụk liệng).
Each ritual has its own prayer, performed by Mo Mot in solemn language, using sacred objects, combined with folk dances and performances such as "xang bok" dance, egg-eating dance, ghost-chasing dance, scarf dance, vegetable-picking dance, monkey climbing tree game, bee sting, lullabies... creating a sacred atmosphere that is also rich in folk cultural identity.
On the third day, Mo Mot and his assistants perform the ritual of sending the spirits back to heaven (xong mot), marking the end of the festival.
After the ceremony, everyone dances the xòe dance, picks lucky branches, and ties scarves around the "xặng bók" tree to prevent the souls of the participants from ascending to heaven with the spirits. This ritual carries profound humanistic meaning, demonstrating community cohesion and belief in divine protection, and praying for a peaceful and prosperous life.
A community cultural space rich in artistic and aesthetic value.
The Xen Lau ceremony is one of the distinctive cultural features of the Black Thai people, not only carrying spiritual significance but also providing a rich cultural and artistic space.
The festival brings together all the elements of folk performing arts such as music, dance, prayers, plays, costumes, decorations, and handicrafts. Everything is meticulously prepared and organized solemnly with a spirit of voluntarism and strong community spirit, demonstrating the bond and solidarity among clans, villages, and generations.
The Xen Lau No ceremony embodies the profound cultural values of the Black Thai people, reflecting the tradition of "drinking water and remembering the source," gratitude to ancestors, deities, and especially Mo Mot - the person who cured illnesses and saved the villagers.
Through rituals, prayers, traditional Xoe dances, and folk performances, the festival contributes to preserving and transmitting historical and cultural values; at the same time, it educates the younger generation about filial piety, the spirit of hard work, and love for their homeland.
Besides its spiritual value, the Xen Lau No Festival is also a cultural space for the community, rich in artistic and aesthetic elements. It serves as a performance environment for folk art, contributing to the preservation and promotion of other intangible cultural heritage of the Black Thai people, such as music, Xoe dance, costumes, cuisine, and decorative items like the "xang bok" tree – a symbol of the community's creativity and refined aesthetic taste.
The Xên Lẩu Nó festival of the Black Thai people in Son La province is therefore not only a ritual for praying for peace and giving thanks to the shaman, but also a symbol of solidarity, an opportunity for the community to together cultivate, spread, and preserve the humanistic values and unique cultural identity of the Black Thai people.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/le-xen-lau-no-net-van-hoa-dac-sac-cua-nguoi-thai-den-o-tinh-son-la-post1075013.vnp
![[Photo] Heartbreaking farewell moments as soldiers participating in the "Quang Trung Campaign" in Dak Lak return to their units.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fvphoto.vietnam.vn%2Fthumb%2F1200x675%2Fvietnam%2Fresource%2FIMAGE%2F2026%2F01%2F12%2F1768207839580_img-0400-5132-jpg.webp&w=3840&q=75)
Comment (0)