From early morning, Ka Lang village, Thu Lum commune, Lai Chau province was bustling with laughter. On the rammed earth houses, kitchen smoke spread, the fragrant smell of sticky rice cakes mixed with the scent of corn wine. For the Ha Nhi people here, the traditional Ho Su Cha Tet is usually celebrated on the first Dragon day of the 10th lunar month. However, because this year has an intercalary month, the Tet holiday is celebrated a month earlier and this is also the time when the harvest is finished, everyone has time to reunite and rest.
Mrs. Ly Xa Pu, in Ka Lang village shared: "On Ho Su Cha Tet, we clean our houses, make sticky rice cakes, slaughter pigs, and worship our ancestors. Every family prepares a tray of food with meat, wine, cakes, and burns incense to thank heaven and earth, thanking our ancestors for blessing us with good crops and healthy children. Tet is an occasion for our children and grandchildren living far away to reunite, and the Ha Nhi people are very happy!"
Ha Nhi men show off their skillful bamboo weaving skills at the beginning of the year.
Not only is it a sacred occasion, this year’s traditional Tet is also associated with the local ethnic cultural festival and is a unique cultural festival. In colorful traditional costumes, Ha Nhi women gather to embroider dresses, while men are bustling with crossbow shooting, tug of war, and pao throwing competitions. Many folk games are held right in the village yard, attracting many tourists and people from other villages to participate.
Mr. Chu Te Hu, in Me Giong village, excitedly said: "Before Tet, my family prepared a pig and slaughtered it on the first day of the new year. After slaughtering the pig, the family took the liver to see how the next year's crops would be. During Tet, the family prepared a feast, invited friends and relatives from near and far to come and visit, as well as to welcome tourists, as well as to welcome tourists from outside to come and celebrate with the family."
To have a more complete Tet, Ha Nhi women often sewed for themselves the most beautiful clothes to wear during Tet.
Implementing the 2-level local government model, from July 1, Thu Lum border commune was merged from the two old communes of Ka Lang and Thu Lum. In recent years, with the attention of the Party and State through programs and projects, especially national target programs, the villages in Thu Lum commune have changed day by day. Roads have been expanded, the national grid has reached each village, and the life of the Ha Nhi people has increasingly improved.
Mr. Nguyen Van Binh, a tourist from Nghe An province, shared: "Today, we came here to feel the Tet atmosphere and the very warm affection of the Ha Nhi people. People together prepare Tet meals, welcome their children who live far away to come back to celebrate Tet. We witnessed the Xoe dances and the very warm affection of the people. I also hope to come back here soon to feel the wonderful Tet atmosphere like this again."
Ha Nhi people in Thu Lum commune slaughter pigs to celebrate the traditional New Year.
Ho Su Cha Tet is not only a reunion festival, but also becomes a unique tourist highlight of Lai Chau border area. At the 1st Congress, Thu Lum Commune Party Committee identified "preserving cultural identity associated with developing community tourism" as the goal in the period 2025 - 2030. People in Ha Nhi villages consider their ethnic traditional Tet as an intrinsic "treasure" for people to develop their economy and society.
Many traditional dishes to welcome guests are made by Ha Nhi women on traditional New Year's Day.
Full trays of food at the beginning of the year welcome guests and wish each other a peaceful new year.
Mr. Nguyen Truong Giang, Party Secretary, Chairman of Thu Lum Commune People's Council, said that Thu Lum Commune has an area of nearly 252 square kilometers, more than 51 kilometers of border and 17 villages, mainly inhabited by the Ha Nhi, Dao, and La Hu ethnic groups. The Ha Nhi people live in 15 villages, accounting for about 91% of the population, of which the poverty and near-poverty rate is 55%. Therefore, preserving traditional house architecture, customs and developing typical products such as corn wine, sticky rice cakes, and brocade to attract tourists is the goal of the local Party Committee and government.
"The Provincial Border Guard Command has also sent Party members of the border guards stationed in the area to participate in Party activities with the Party cells. This is an important factor in promoting the preservation of cultural identity among the people, associated with the development of community tourism. Especially, the border people on both sides have the same Ha Nhi ethnic group, and this traditional ethnic New Year is an opportunity for people to interact and later on, the two sides can exchange, learn and understand each other about the cultural identity of each locality."
Looking at the pig's liver at the beginning of the year to predict the next year's crop is a tradition of the Ha Nhi people.
Amidst the sound of drums, gongs, and the murmuring stream, amid the aroma of corn wine and fragrant sticky rice cakes, the Ha Nhi people in Thu Lum commune entrust their belief in a peaceful and prosperous new year to the Ho Su Cha Tet. At the source of the Da River, spring comes early on the border, bringing with it the rustic yet profound colors of Ha Nhi culture, just like the love of the people in the far west of the Fatherland.
Source: https://baolaocai.vn/sac-xuan-ho-su-cha-tet-co-truyen-doc-dao-cua-nguoi-ha-nhi-post886393.html
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