Some New Year's Eve customs of the White Thai people in Nghe An
From the twenty-second and twenty-third of the lunar new year, the White Thai people (southwestern Nghe An) have prepared for the new year: rice wine, string and dong leaves to wrap banh chung on the evening of the twenty-ninth. Firewood is piled under the floors of the houses, a fat pig is ready in the pen to be slaughtered on the morning of the thirtieth of the new year...
(Baonghean.vn) -From the twenty-second and twenty-third of the lunar new year, the White Thai people (southwestern Nghe An) have prepared for the new year: rice wine, string and dong leaves to wrap banh chung on the evening of the twenty-ninth. Firewood is piled under the floors of the houses, a fat pig is ready in the pen to be slaughtered on the morning of the thirtieth of the new year...
Tet market on December 25th
The district central markets are usually bustling with buyers and sellers from the 21st and 22nd of December, with all kinds of vendors flocking to the festival, making it a busy market day. Goods come from the lowlands and from ethnic minority villages. The atmosphere of spring is extremely joyful.
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But the market day on December 25th is still eagerly awaited by many people. It has become a tradition that people gather at the market five days before the New Year to pray for luck, peace, and happiness. In addition to shopping, the district market is also a meeting place for couples and people to find friends to confide in and satisfy their longing after many days apart. On the morning of December 25th, everyone gets up very early, no one calls anyone but the roads winding along the mountainside are bustling with the voices and laughter of people from the villages going to the market. People going to the year-end market need joy more than shopping.
Visiting the grave on December 29th
The White Thai people in southwest Nghe An believe that everything must be renovated and repaired after the new year. Houses must be free of rubbish and all furniture must be cleaned. Visiting the graves of deceased relatives is also an important task.
On the 29th of Tet, the cemeteries that were deserted all year round suddenly became bustling with visitors. It started with a ceremony to offer wine to the ancestors to ask for permission for their descendants to renovate their homes, and then invite them to celebrate Tet with the village and their descendants. They organized to clear away bushes and weeds, restore their ancestors' graves, and pray for a good new year. Graves that had not been visited for a long time were also rebuilt. A stick of incense was placed on the anonymous grave so that the souls of the ancestors in heaven could be somewhat comforted when their descendants, for some reason, did not come to visit their graves.
Ceremony to call the spirit back to celebrate Tet
In the past year, everyone had to go up and down the mountains to make a living. Adults cleared fields, cut wood in the forest, children herded buffalo, gathered firewood, gathered vegetables, hunted birds and animals. The souls of family members were most likely in some mountain stream or corner and had not returned. The soul calling ceremony was held to guide the lost souls back to celebrate Tet.
The day of the soul calling ceremony is not specifically set, people usually choose an auspicious day in December to organize it and not every family has to organize the soul calling ceremony. But for families with small children or sick people, the soul calling ceremony is a very important ritual before each Tet holiday.
The offerings for the soul-calling ceremony were simple, consisting of only a plate of sticky rice and a chicken. Placed next to the offering tray were the shirts of the family members. After the ceremony, each person had a string tied around their wrist so that their soul would not wander off again.
Invite each other to eat New Year's Eve party
The White Thai people in Western Nghe An usually have their New Year's Eve meal at noon on the 30th of Tet. After the ceremony to invite their ancestors to celebrate Tet, the offering tray is taken down, and then the descendants can enjoy the blessings. Neighbors often visit each other's houses to have the New Year's Eve meal, taking turns from house to house. They believe that the last meal of the year should be attended by close friends.
Ha Phuong
