The Thai people's ritual of worshipping the gods on the first day of Tet

(Baonghean.vn) - Each ethnic community in our country has its own customs to celebrate the traditional New Year. The Thai people in Nghia Dan district also have their own unique culture to celebrate the Lunar New Year. In addition to the rituals of worshipping ancestors and grandparents in their families, the Thai people here still maintain the beauty: on the morning of the first day of the New Year, from the elderly to the children gather at the village Cultural House to prepare the offerings for the first day of the New Year.

Women gather at the Village Cultural House to wrap Chung cakes and traditional cakes of the Thai people.

We were present at the Men village cultural house, Nghia Tho commune (Nghia Dan district) when the people here were busy preparing the New Year's offerings. The offerings were prepared very neatly. In addition to traditional dishes such as sticky rice, chicken, and banh chung, the Thai people's offerings also include banh it, ho moc, and cha lam.

According to the Thai people's belief, making offerings at the beginning of Spring in the village not only shows prosperity and abundance, but also shows the descendants' respect for their roots and ancestors, praying for health, success, and the rapid growth of buffaloes and cows.

Banh it, banh ho moc, cha lam are indispensable dishes on the New Year's offering tray.

Making the New Year's offerings is very important. Chicken and fish dishes require the person making them to be a prestigious man in the village; sticky rice and cakes are made by women. This shows the ingenuity, diligence, and thoughtfulness of Thai women.

Mr. Lo Hong Linh - an elder in Men village, Nghia Tho commune said: People here always try to preserve the traditions of the Thai people, the customs and practices passed down from their grandparents and parents; besides, they promote the inherent beauty from the past until now, so the descendants always preserve the identity and belief in traditional values.

The village shaman held a ceremony to pray for a new year of prosperity and unity for the villagers.

Tet and Spring are occasions for people from all over the village to gather together to look back on the achievements of a year of labor and production and participate in cultural and artistic activities such as bamboo dancing, carving, gong singing and dancing, and enjoying traditional delicacies, inviting each other to strong wine, wishing everyone good health, prosperity and well-being for the village and family. Ms. Vi Thi Thuc, a resident of Men village, Nghia Tho commune, shared: “Thank you to the Party and State for caring for the Thai ethnic people. We are very excited to restore the ethnic identity of the Thai people.”

After the shaman performed the ritual, people came forward to kneel and thank the gods.

This year, the joy of the Thai people in Men village, Nghia Tho commune seems to be multiplied, when Spring comes, the village Cultural House is completed and put into use. This is not only a place to hold meetings but also a place for activities and entertainment for the people. The Thai people's Tet holiday in Nghia Dan has many cultural and artistic activities and takes place from the first day of Tet until the 10th day.

Over the jar of rice wine, everyone wished each other health, happiness and well-being.

The games are very exciting such as walking on stilts, carving furrows, beating drums, gongs and singing and dancing.... Ms. Le Thi Quyen - Cultural officer of Nghia Loi commune (Nghia Dan district) added: After completing the rituals at home and at the ancestors' house, all the people will return to the village's communal house and here they will also make an offering to pray for a new year of peace, health, national peace and prosperity, and a successful harvest.

Minh Thai