New Rice Festival in Tuong Duong

The harvest festival includes offerings of familiar, everyday dishes such as fish and chicken patties, made from a mixture of mushrooms, glutinous rice flour, lemongrass, and spices, tied together and steamed. The offering tray also includes rice wine, rice liquor, and various grilled meats...

Throwing the ball during the Spring Festival.

Newly harvested rice is brought from the fields and stacked on platforms under eaves, in gardens, or in front of houses like walls of rice. The house with the tallest rice wall is considered the luckiest in the village. Along with these rice walls comes the lively celebration of 'Kin Khau Mo' - the New Rice Festival.

Mr. Ngan Van Ba, 103 years old, from Ang village, Xa Luong commune, Tuong Duong district, Nghe An province, told me: "This is 'Hit khoong muong ban' - a village custom from ancient times. Every time the new rice harvest comes home, the villagers celebrate with great fanfare. With this 'Kin khau mo' custom, the farmers always want to teach their children and grandchildren to cherish rice and cassava because they are what sustain people and are the fruits of their ancestors' hard work. The ceremony celebrating the new rice harvest is not as elaborate as other customs, but it is the most important ceremony of the year because it signals the arrival of prosperity and the end of a year of hard labor. That's why it's also called 'Farm Festival'."

New Year's Day at Kim Da ferry terminal (Tuong Duong)

The harvest festival is not limited in time like the Lunar New Year but can last for a whole month. Families who harvest earlier hold the ceremony earlier; those who harvest later hold the ceremony later. Usually, this festival is most elaborate from September to October in the lunar calendar, so during this time, you'll be invited to join the harvest festival with the villagers throughout the villages.

The new rice harvest has arrived in the village, bringing with it the lively sounds of rice pounding, pigs and chickens squealing, and wood chopping. Young people go to the forest to gather bamboo shoots and mushrooms, while the elderly go to the streams and rivers to catch fish and crabs. This year, Tuong Duong has had favorable weather, resulting in a bountiful harvest. Ms. Luong Thi Bich, a resident of Ang village, said: "We hold this ceremony to thank the sky god (Then), the mountain god, the forest god, and our ancestors for their blessings and protection so that next year the rice will be good, the grains plump, and our village will not suffer from hunger. I also saw pumpkins, squash, and cucumbers brought back from the fields along with the rice grains. These side crops have become the main source of income for many families, providing them with money for the upcoming Tet holiday."

Text and photos: Tran Hai