Guizhou holds the Long Tong Festival.
(Baonghean.vn) - This morning, January 30, 2012 (the 8th day of the first lunar month), together with the authorities of 12 communes and towns in the mountainous district of Quy Chau, the People's Committee of Chau Hanh commune organized the Loong Tong Festival (going to the fields) and the Tree Planting Festival at the Na Pach field (bamboo field), in Thuan Lap village.
This is one of the traditional festivals of the Thai ethnic group, held at the beginning of the new year to pray to the deities for blessings and a peaceful new year.
The villagers of Thuan Lap hamlet compete in rice planting at the beginning of spring.
The festival consists of two parts: the ceremonial part and the festive part, both meticulously prepared and conducted with solemnity. The ceremonial part includes traditional rituals where people offer trays of food, prepared by themselves, to the gods as a report of their year's hard work. At the auspicious hour, the village shaman prays to the household deities (the deities who watch over the houses and govern the fields), the mountain deity, and the water deity, asking for favorable weather, bountiful crops, good health for the villagers, and a prosperous and happy life.
After the prayer ceremony, the head of the association sends a number of people (previously selected) to lead strong male buffaloes to plow the first furrows of the new year.
The festival began with songs celebrating the Party and the Spring Festival, along with unique folk art performances from the local ethnic groups, such as "hat suoi," "nhuon," and "khac luong," as well as traditional games like "nem con" and "danh sap" (bamboo pole dancing).
Planting trees in the grounds of the village's community cultural center.
At the festival, the local authorities launched the "Tree Planting Festival in Eternal Gratitude to Uncle Ho." Officials and a large number of people enthusiastically participated in planting trees at their workplaces, schools, and other locations.
Tran Ngoc Lan
