Unique Lunar New Year customs of the Hmong people in Tủa Chùa

During the Hmong New Year in Tủa Chùa (Điện Biên), every household makes sticky rice cakes and prepares plenty of pork, chicken, wine, and decorative paper.

When peach and plum blossoms bloom brightly on the hillsides, and the smoke from kitchens blends with the morning mist, the Hmong people in the highlands of Tủa Chùa are bustling with preparations for the Lunar New Year. Previously, they celebrated the New Year according to the Gregorian calendar. Since Liberation Day, sharing in the joy of the nation, they have united to celebrate the New Year with other ethnic groups, according to the lunar calendar.

In preparation for the traditional Lunar New Year, in the Hmong families of Tủa Chùa, Điện Biên, every household is pounding sticky rice cakes and preparing plenty of pork, chicken, wine, and decorative paper. The Hmong people believe that after a year of hard work, Tet is a time for relatives and friends to visit and encourage each other, so they must prepare for Tet thoroughly.

A traditional New Year's feast of the Hmong people. Photo: Global Police

Once preparations are complete, an indispensable custom on the 30th day of the Lunar New Year is changing the altar and offering sacrifices to ancestors. On the morning of the 30th, the homeowner prepares a broom made of three branches or three bamboo sticks, a small basket or a piece of woven mat to sweep up soot (called "Qêz nkhơưz" in the Hmong language). The homeowner holds the basket in their left hand to catch the soot and the broom in their right hand, sweeping from the left door (when viewed from inside the house) in a circle to the right door, then going outside to dispose of the soot in the direction of the sunrise.

After sweeping away the soot, the altar is prepared for the ceremony. The homeowner cleans the altar, emptys the old ashes, tears up the old paper, and replaces it with new ashes and paper. Next, they catch a young rooster, prepare 12 incense sticks, and 12 small pieces of paper. After lighting the incense on the altar, the homeowner takes the live rooster to the altar and prays.

Speaking about the ritual of offering sacrifices at the altar (called "Txi siv caz" in the Hmong language), Mr. Vi A Hao, a Green Hmong artisan from Tua Chua, Dien Bien province, said: "When we Hmong people offer sacrifices at the altar, we pray as follows: The old year ends, the new year comes / I have a rooster / Twelve pieces of paper / Twelve incense sticks / To invite the altar / House spirits, kitchen spirits / All come and receive / Bless me / All twelve souls of the family / May we not be sick / May we have sons / May we have daughters / May our pigsties and chicken coops be full / May our granaries be full of rice..."

The Hmong people slaughter chickens to offer to the gods and ancestors, tying the chicken feathers into a bundle, dipping them in chicken blood, and sticking them on the altar. (Photo: Global Police)

After the prayers are finished, the homeowner takes out a young rooster, slaughters it, and smears three drops of blood on the altar. Then, they pluck the feathers from the back of the rooster's neck and stick them to the three spots where blood was smeared on the altar. Finally, they boil the rooster until cooked to continue the offering.

Mr. Giàng A Sử, an elderly man in Mường Báng commune, Tủa Chùa district, said: “The people have to prepare four extra cups of wine and four sticky rice cakes to offer to their ancestors. As for pasting paper, it must be used to decorate household tools, buffalo sheds, pigpens… The people believe that after a year of hard work, all tools also need to rest.”

After the ceremony, the host examines the chicken's feet, tongue, eyes, and head. Once finished, the chicken is butchered and shared among the family. According to the Tủa Chùa people, this is a blessing bestowed by their ancestors upon their descendants. Before eating, the host must invite their father or the head of the family to the ceremony. Then, they invite the head of the household's father, followed by relatives from three generations back, to join the father in drinking wine and eating.

As Tet (Lunar New Year) approaches, after completing the ancestral worship ceremony on the 30th day of the lunar month, the Hmong people in the highlands of Tua Chua gather together, each preparing their most vibrant traditional clothing to celebrate Tet, believing that the new year will bring good fortune.

According to VOV