The traditional New Year days are a time of convergence of traditional and unique cultural activities of each nation. With 54 ethnic groups living together, each ethnic group has its own custom to celebrate the New Year, contributing to creating a rich and diverse cultural identity of Vietnamese people ...
The Mong ethnic group is considered an important member of the community of ethnic minorities in Vietnam. The Mong ethnic group includes many groups: Mong De (White Mong), Mong Le (Mong Hoa), Mong Si (Red Mong), Mong Du (Black Mong), Mong Su (Mong Man). The Mong people reside in the highland areas of Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Lai Chau, Son La, Cao Bang and Nghe An provinces.
The Hmong have a separate calendar. Accordingly, the New Year of the Mong people are held around the end of November and early December of the lunar calendar. However, today most of the Mong people have celebrated the Lunar New Year like the Kinh, except for a small part, such as the Mong people in Moc Chau who maintain the New Year festival according to their own calendar.
On 25, 26 December, the Mong people began to relax to prepare for the New Year. At that time, they sealed all the production tools, such as forging kilns to make the closing ceremony, the maize mill removed, stuck a piece of paper on it and the ceremony.
Previously, Mong people did not pack banh chung, now they have it, but banh chung is not necessarily included in their Tet holiday. For them, the three indispensable dishes are meat, wine and cornbread.
Mong people do not welcome New Year's Eve. For them, the first crowing sound of the early morning of New Year is a milestone marking a new year begins. In the evening or at midnight 30, people worship the house ghost (ancestor) with a live pig, a live chicken (and must be a rooster, preferably a young rooster). After that, he took pigs and chickens to kill meat. Meat is then offered a tray of cooked meat, then eat rice and drink wine until you hear the first chicken crow.
From the First day onwards they wear new outfits. Throw pao is one of the Tet games that Mong people love; In addition, there are also dances, umbrella dancing, playing badminton of chicken, singing pipes, singing folk songs, horse racing, crossbow shooting ...
In particular, speaking of Chinese New Year of the Mong people could not help but mention a festival called Gau Tao. According to the Mong language, Gao Tao means "play venue". According to custom, the Gao Tao festival is usually held by three families related by blood or family connection and having the same circumstances as mentioned above. The festival is held in the spring for three consecutive years - one tree is planted each year so that the three homeowners will take in turn the mentioned tree and the hanging objects on the tree to get happiness and fortune. The location of Gao Tao festival is called Hao Cao (Doi Hoi), which is a low hill, flat top creating a wide yard and surrounded by higher hills, in front of a sunken, narrow space. . Gao Cao Tao Hill has to turn to the East so that if the tree raises, it will catch the sunlight. The Mong people believe that the Gao Tao hill represents the blessing of the owner. The sunken space ahead represents the fault, unlucky; The higher hills symbolize growth: more children than parents, more and more fortune.
In order to organize the bucket festival, the homeowner must invite the host (Tru Cao) to help preside over the festival and a maid (Nao Cao), all of whom must be from a peaceful, happy and economic background wealthier; Together with two young men and women, the ceremony's hosts were Tu Cao and Se Tao.
The festival is held in January every year, but preparations are made from the end of December, with two rituals of felling and erecting bamboo. On cutting bamboo to raise, the host presents the ceremony for the ceremony and the servants to perform the rituals of worship. The host invited the owner of the ceremony to drink wine and after two glasses of wine, the host started to sing the song "sế gie" (see fortune telling) about the reason for making Gao Tao ceremony. After that, the host of the ceremony spread the song, sing the song “choi de se se” (search for the tree) and lead the group to the chosen bamboo tree to cut the bamboo. If the bamboo is raised, it must be straight, evenly arranged, 9 - 12m high, no pests, no dead ends, no flowers, the top of the tree faces the rising sun. The ceremony of cutting bamboo trees takes place right at the base of the bamboos, the ceremony owner holds the ceremony and holds the umbrellas, singing the song "Chí dê sê sê" (cutting down the tree) and walking around the bamboo stump. Out of the song, People continue to chop the bamboo so that it is poured toward the sunrise and someone is supporting it on the shoulders so that the bamboo does not touch the ground. After that, the body of the bamboo is trimmed smoothly, while the top of the bamboo leaves its branches to symbolize the "dragon mane" or sacredness. The ceremony's owner covers the trees, sing the song "go on" (carrying the tree if) so that everyone can take to the fairground, the root facing forward, the tops to the rear, not touching the ground and not stopping in the middle of the road. Coming to the festival yard, people dig holes for planting bamboo, now called the trees mentioned and do not coincide with the holes of previous years. The ceremony's host ties up two black linen strips (a gathering of forces) and red (invites ancestors to the festival), a gourd of wine, three glutinous rice flowers (symbolizing fortune) and a bundle of trees "Lion" (ferns family, which represents reproduction) and then all of them raised, raised their heads to the rising sun. The body of the bamboo is trimmed smoothly, while the top of the bamboo leaves its branches to symbolize the "dragon mane" or holiness. The ceremony's owner covers the trees, sing the song "go on" (carrying the tree if) so that everyone can take to the fairground, the root facing forward, the tops to the rear, not touching the ground and not stopping in the middle of the road. Coming to the festival yard, people dig holes for planting bamboo, now called the trees mentioned and do not coincide with the holes of previous years. The ceremony's host ties up two black linen strips (a gathering of forces) and red (invites ancestors to the festival), a gourd of wine, three glutinous rice flowers (symbolizing fortune) and a bundle of trees "Lion" (ferns family, which represents reproduction) and then all of them raised, raised their heads to the rising sun. The body of the bamboo is trimmed smoothly, while the top of the bamboo leaves its branches to symbolize the "dragon mane" or holiness. The ceremony's owner covers the trees, sing the song "go on" (carrying the tree if) so that everyone can take to the fairground, the root facing forward, the tops to the rear, not touching the ground and not stopping in the middle of the road. Coming to the festival yard, people dig holes for planting bamboo, now called the trees mentioned and do not coincide with the holes of previous years. The ceremony's host ties up two black linen strips (a gathering of forces) and red (invites ancestors to the festival), a gourd of wine, three glutinous rice flowers (symbolizing fortune) and a bundle of trees "Lion" (ferns family, which represents reproduction) and then all of them raised, raised their heads to the rising sun. root forward, rearward, not touching the ground and resting midway. Coming to the festival yard, people dig holes for planting bamboo, now called the trees mentioned and do not coincide with the holes of previous years. The ceremony's host ties up two black linen strips (a gathering of forces) and red (invites ancestors to the festival), a gourd of wine, three glutinous rice flowers (symbolizing fortune) and a bundle of trees "Lion" (ferns family, which represents reproduction) and then all of them raised, raised their heads to the rising sun. root forward, rear tops, do not touch the ground and do not rest in the middle of the road. Coming to the festival yard, people dig holes for planting bamboo, now called the trees mentioned and do not coincide with the holes of previous years. The ceremony's host ties up two black linen strips (a gathering of forces) and red (invites ancestors to the festival), a gourd of wine, three glutinous rice flowers (symbolizing fortune) and a bundle of trees "Lion" (ferns family, which represents reproduction) and then all of them raised, raised their heads to the rising sun.
The tree-worshiping ceremony took place that morning with offerings of chicken, wine and rice. The owner of the ceremony burns incense, burns coins, and goes counterclockwise around the tree, singing "Tinh vegetarian" (making an appointment) to worship the gods, knowing that the family set up to organize a thanksgiving ceremony (as promised) , then everybody enjoyed right under the tree.
When seeing the tree raised in the middle of Hau Tao hill, everyone in the area knew that there was a Gao festival. Festive atmosphere is bustling, people inform each other at the market, on the road, in the neighborhood ... about Gau Cao ceremony and practice to play Gao Tao festival. The person who knows how to perform the trumpets will practice the trumpets, alpine voices, and the dancing of the trumpet and instruct the children and grandchildren to practice together. Those proficient in martial arts with traditional weapons will practice martial arts pieces and exercises to show off their talents to the world. Usually these martial arts masters only teach their eldest son, so the traditional martial arts on the Day of Cao Tao festival are known and performed less and less. This festival is also an opportunity for men and women to prepare beautiful clothes, have fun with friends, meet lovers ... to express their feelings through songs that they cannot tell everyday.
The main festival is held from the 2nd to the 4th of the Lunar New Year, depending on the age of the homeowner. The host and maids hang offerings on the tree, place the code under the tree and kneel down to pray, say the tree. After the ceremony of worshiping the mentioned tree, the ceremony owner announced to open a festival. The opening ceremony is performed by a person who is good at singing but must have a healthy family and a well-off economy. After that, all the participants in the festival can come to sing, perform and enjoy games, alpine dance, martial arts dance, money making dances, singing Chu Gou Tao festival ... and are invited by the host of the ceremony. The fun lasted until the evening with the host songs - guests, men - women. Remote guests can stay at the home of the owner to continue the fun.
The Cao Tao Festival lasts for three days. In the afternoon of the third day, the ceremony owner declared a tree-lowering ceremony, then took an umbrella and led a group of people counter-clockwise around the tree, singing the song "stitching serene" (lowering the tree). As well as the ritual of cutting bamboo, when lowering it, one must let the tree recline in the direction of the rising sun, the trunk will not touch the ground, and then carry the tree up home. Close to the place, people cut a stump of about 1m long, nut the three glutinous rice grains and put money into the paddy. The owner closed the door waiting, sang and answered the tree with the ceremony, then opened the door to receive the tree. The tree mentioned is carried in the house in the direction of its roots first.
The ceremony owner presented to the owner the linen strip and the stump of the tree stating: The tree stump used to "slice" the bed, the linen strip used to make clothes for the child who was born by praying on Gao Gao hill or for people cured from praying by Gao Cao.
Gao Tao Festival is the largest festival of the Mong people in the year and it shows most clearly the characteristics of Mong culture in Tet.
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