The custom of "butt slapping" to wish for equality and happiness of the Mong people in Ha Giang

In the first days of the year, when spring comes, the Mong people in Ha Giang gather together, wishing each other good health, happiness and luck. And one of the unique customs during the traditional Tet holiday of the Mong people here is the custom of "butt slapping" to wish for a happy new year.

The Mong people in Ha Giang do not know when the custom of slapping buttocks to wish for a happy new year began, but they do know that this custom has been passed down from generation to generation.

Mr. Vang Chan Giao - a person knowledgeable about Mong culture in Quan Ba ​​- Ha Giang said: "According to the old village elders' teachings, Mong people have a custom: If you want to eat mushrooms, you have to follow the tree, if you want to build a family, you have to look at your relatives. Therefore, Mong boys and girls who want to build a family must listen to their parents' arrangements or if they are an aunt who is marrying off their daughter, they must have permission from their uncle. If they do not marry her, they are allowed to marry into another family. This custom has made it impossible for boys and girls to marry the person they love. Since then, boys and girls have used Tet as a place to date, greet each other, pat each other's buttocks to wish each other a Happy New Year, with the general idea: The old year is over, the new year is coming, wipe away the pain and illness, wipe away the bad words of people, wish each other good health, live well and if we are still lucky, we hope to see each other again...".

Photo ST: During the first days of the new year, the Mong people in Ha Giang believe that with each pat on the buttocks, not only does it wipe away the bad luck, illness and sadness of the old year, but it is also a prayer for a new year of health, peace and good luck.

During the first days of the new year, the Mong people in Ha Giang believe that with each pat on the buttocks, not only is it to brush away the bad luck, illness and sadness of the old year, but it is also a prayer for a new year of health, peace and good luck. This has been done over and over again and has become the custom of “patting the buttocks to wish for a New Year” of the Mong people here. Boys are only allowed to pat girls and vice versa. Patting the buttocks to wish for a New Year is not only a part of the New Year's ceremony, but also a profound humane message about equality between people, fighting to eliminate backward customs in marriage.

Photo ST: Boys are only allowed to pat girls and vice versa

Ly Mi Cuong, a Mong ethnic boy, currently a student at the Vietnam National Academy of Music, shared: “Every year during Tet, I go to the Spring Festival and have the opportunity to pat my butt to wish everyone a Happy New Year. This is a very meaningful custom, as a young person, I also really hope that this custom will be preserved and promoted in accordance with its humanistic meaning.”

During the spring festival at the beginning of the year, many Mong ethnic villages in Ha Giang have also included the custom of slapping buttocks to wish for a New Year in one of the festival's contents. However, to ensure that this custom is meaningful, when organizing Tet celebrations, the Organizing Committee often sets out specific regulations to avoid inappropriate variations or uncivilized behavior, and closely supervises the implementation.

Mr. Vang Chan Giao added: "The Spring Festival also organizes many fun games and antiphonal singing. The Organizing Committee is responsible for supervising and preventing the situation of taking advantage of the custom of patting the buttocks to wish for a New Year, causing misunderstandings, fighting, and disunity, affecting the overall Festival."

The custom of "slapping the buttocks" to wish for a happy New Year of the Mong people in Ha Giang has been preserved and promoted in the constant flow of time, contributing to diversifying and enriching the nation's traditional cultural treasure.

Source: Vov.vn

Source: http://hagiangtv.vn/doi-song-xa-hoi/202502/tuc-vo-mong-chuc-binh-dang-hanh-phuc-cua-nguoi-mong-ha-giang-7080296/