Yen Bai - According to custom, the traditional New Year of the Mong people usually takes place 1 month before the Lunar New Year. At this time, the harvest is finished and everyone rests after a year of hard work. Currently, most Mong people celebrate the Lunar New Year with the whole nation. Accordingly, the New Year worshiping custom will take place on the last day of the 12th lunar month, which is the 29th or 30th depending on the year. This is an opportunity for families to rest, organize a year-end meal, and pray for a better new year.
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Hmong people's Tet altar. |
>> Unique features in Mong culture
For the Mong people, Tet worship is a very important ritual throughout the year. From the concept, Tet worship is to pray for favorable weather, good health for everyone, and a bountiful harvest. The Mong people also worship farming tools to express gratitude and pray for good luck in the new year. In particular, the offering of a beautiful rooster plays a very important role in praying for good luck, peace, and prosperity. Unlike other ethnic groups, the Mong people often worship Tet by the homeowner themselves or ask their father, uncle, or brother to help them, not by outsiders.
Mr. Chang A Cua in Lung Cung village, Nam Co commune, Mu Cang Chai district shared: "The Mong people's Tet worship ceremony takes place on the last day of the twelfth lunar month. In addition to incense and votive paper, the main offering for the Tet worship is a rooster with smooth, beautiful feathers. Before the worship, the homeowner will cut 3 small bamboo trees, tie them into a broom to sweep all the cobwebs and dust in the house outside with the concept of sweeping away all the bad luck and misfortune of the old year. After that, they take farming tools such as machetes, hoes, and shovels to place next to the altar, cut a large piece of paper the size of A4 paper, carve out patterns and stick them to the altar and stick the paper to the farming tools. Only 3 days after burning the votive paper can they use the labor tools; stick the paper to household items such as doors, house pillars, tables, chairs, barns, machinery... and then proceed to worship Tet".
When all the preparations and offerings are completed, the homeowner takes the rooster chosen as the offering and washes its feet, stands in front of the altar and reads the prayer to call the gods to witness, and receives the living offering with the content: the old year has ended, the new year has come, the homeowner has a lot of votive paper, incense and a beautiful rooster to offer to the gods, please come to witness, receive the living offering, bless and protect the family for a peaceful, healthy and lucky new year...
When the ceremony is completed, the homeowner will cut the chicken's throat, pluck three neck feathers, dip them in blood, and stick them horizontally on the top of a piece of paper on the altar. The chicken will then be slaughtered, cleaned, and boiled whole.
When the chicken is cooked, it will be placed whole on a tray with a bowl of rice, a pair of chopsticks placed in front of the altar and the homeowner will continue to read the prayer to invite the gods to witness and receive the ripe blessing. After the worship of the gods, the chicken is cut and a tray of rice is arranged to worship the ancestors, the gods of wealth, and the house ghosts with the wish to thank them for a year of blessing and protection for the family and to pray for them to continue to bless and protect the family for a peaceful and healthy new year...
After completing the worship rituals, the head and feet of the chicken will be brought out by the homeowner to predict the family's fortune in the new year. It can be seen that the Mong people's Tet worship is a beautiful traditional cultural belief, with profound meaning, towards the morality of "When drinking water, remember its source". This beautiful spiritual belief has been preserved by generations of Mong people in Yen Bai province for many generations.
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Source: http://baoyenbai.com.vn/16/344664/Net-dep-tin-nguong-cua-nguoi-Mong.aspx
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