Returning to the fairy-tale countryside of Ngoc Chien to celebrate the New Rice Festival

Ngoc Chien - the land called by tourists as the "fairyland" of the Northwest mountains and forests has more than 560 hectares of rice fields, stretching across the villages, surrounding the traditional houses of the Thai, Mong, La Ha ethnic groups...

This year's festival takes place on September 2-3, attracting a large number of tourists from all over.

Party Secretary Bui Tien Sy said that in the past, after a year of famine and crop failure, when the new rice season came, the ethnic people in the commune would hold a new rice celebration to commemorate their ancestors who opened up the village.

Nowadays, although life has developed and people have enough food and clothing, they still hold new rice celebrations, which signify the conclusion of the labor and production season, and give thanks to heaven, earth, gods, and ancestors.

At the Festival stage, the Pang A Festival of the La Ha ethnic group in Ke village, Ngoc Chien commune was recreated.

At the same time, it is an opportunity for people to meet, exchange and learn experiences in agricultural production; educate children to maintain, preserve and promote the traditional cultural values of the Thai ethnic group in Ngoc Chien commune.

This year's festival takes place over 2 days, September 2-3, and consists of 2 parts. The ceremony includes a new rice offering ceremony at Don Ho church, Muong Chien village. The shaman performs rituals to express gratitude to ancestors, heaven and earth, and pray for favorable weather, bountiful harvests, and a prosperous and fulfilling life. After the ceremony at the ancestral church, households prepare a new rice offering ceremony at home.

The festival section with the theme Ngoc Chien new rice season 2023 includes the following competitions: Com making competition, stilt walking competition, Yen to (Hmong badminton), grapefruit soccer for men and women; art competition; Ngu kin khiet (snake eating frog) competition; beeswax drawing competition; fish catching competition; blindfolded banana tree stabbing competition; Sua kin mu (tiger eating pig) game competition; culinary competition; organizing a folk art night and solidarity xoe circle.

The new rice festival has the meaning of summarizing the labor and production season, giving thanks to heaven, earth, gods, and ancestors.

Ngoc Chien - the land that tourists call the "fairy tale countryside" of the Northwest mountains and forests.

Especially the Buffalo Worshiping Ceremony and the Buffalo Prince Contest. The Buffalo Worshiping Ceremony is one of the typical rituals of the Thai people in Son La, bearing the cultural imprint of wet rice agriculture, and having an important meaning in the economic and cultural life of the Thai ethnic group.

Through festival activities, it is a bond that connects the community, recreating a solemn and sacred cultural space according to traditional folk rituals, harmoniously combining with modernity. Creating a highlight to attract a large number of tourists from near and far to experience and explore.

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