The whole village worships their ancestors on the 30th day of Tet of the Mong people.

Young people gathered to erect two old po trees right in the central yard of the village. Photo: Hien Chuong

From early morning on the 30th of Tet, the young men of the Va clan invited each other to go into the forest to cut down two old po trees about 1.5-2 meters high, then brought them back to dig holes and set them up on both sides right in the central yard of the village. Next, they took cogon grass and braided it into long ropes to hang from one tree to the other, in the middle were braided cogon grass circles symbolizing luck and goodness. According to custom, at 3:00 p.m., the whole village would gather at the place where the pole was erected and begin the worship ceremony.

The process of weaving cogon grass. Photo: Hien Chuong

At this time, each family in the clan will bring a bundle of bamboo leaves, gather them into a large bundle called lu su and give it to the shaman. The shaman must be a prestigious village elder or clan leader, holding a live rooster and a bundle of lu su in his hand, reciting the prayer while rotating the rooster and the bundle of bamboo leaves in a circle. Meanwhile, the villagers will walk around the pole until the shaman finishes reading the prayer.

“This is the most important event of the year for our Mong people, held only once a year on Tet. During Tet, we have to hold a ceremony for the whole village to pray for everyone and every family to be healthy in the new year, for children to study well, for every family to be lucky, and for a prosperous life,” said village elder Va Chu Xenh.

The shaman rotates the live chicken and the bunch of celery in a circle to chase away the bad luck of the old year and pray for the whole family to have a good new year, doing business and trading according to each person's wishes. After finishing the prayer, the shaman throws the chicken and the bunch of celery through the grass vine. If the chicken is still alive and healthy, the prayer will be effective.

The shaman performs a ritual in the village's ancestral worship custom. Photo: Hien Chuong

In Nhon Mai commune, the Mong people are currently one of the ethnic groups that have preserved their traditional cultural identity, including the ancestral worship ceremony. This is a religious ritual of the people that has been passed down from ancient times to the present day, as a form of gratitude to the local gods and the local spirits for blessing crops, livestock, poultry, and people with good health over the past year.

Plucked chicken feathers, smeared with blood, and pasted onto a mat - considered an altar of the Mong people. Photo: Hien Chuong

After the ceremony, everyone returns home and chooses the most beautiful rooster, after praying to the gods, then slaughters it. The homeowner will pluck three tufts of feathers from the neck of the rooster, mark it with blood, and stick it on the altar - considered the altar of the Mong people. This has the meaning of protecting everyone, especially children in the house, from disasters and diseases.