Canada - Autumn forest replaces leaves

Autumn in Canada is quite gentle but brings many emotions, making millions of hearts flutter. It is a faint yellow, lemon yellow, canary yellow, dreamy yellow interwoven with bright red, burgundy, crimson creating a dreamlike picture like in the fairy domain. The impressive colors of "autumn forest" with smooth roads full of maple leaves can be found throughout Canada in October.

Dreamy of Vancouver fall

Fall in Vancouver, dreaming with the streets full of beautiful maple leaves. In particular, the streets here are diverse colors with yellow, red, and brown colors, creating a brilliant scenery during the day with sunlight in the foliage or even at night under the sparkling street lights. Strolling on the pretty small streets, stepping on foot like being supported by the soft "maple leaf" carpet. 

Arriving in Vancouver, you can not ignore Stanley Park located in the heart of the city. Entering here, you will be immersed in the sea of ​​romantic maple leaves and feel the passionate embrace of nature's mother. If you find your feet are tired, don't worry, there are reclining chairs placed around the streets of Vancouver for you to rest. Seeing the views from the observatory, reading a book or adding a hot cup of tea with fragrant maple syrup, or riding a horse cart around the tourist areas is also a great way for you to enjoy the season flavor collected here. 

Montréal - when autumn knocks on the door

Just like Vancouver, the autumn painting comes alive right on the streets of Montréal. Maple leaves are everywhere, dyed with a lovely red, orange yellow, interspersed with ancient houses to create a splendid scenery. Autumn paintings not only exist in the city, on the high hills, but you also clearly see the beauty through the maple trees hundreds of kilometers along the highway. Whether you just stop by the road to admire or rush through, the scenery here is captivating.

The city also makes you excited when walking around the small streets, weaving through winding roads, watching the houses covered with colorful flowers. More specifically, the excitement is also expressed by the image of the street artists, paintings for tourists or melodious melodies from the violin. A very unique and bold beauty Québec.

Ontario - flooded with red maple leaves

Niagara Falls, Canada's most majestic waterfall is a destination not to be missed when visiting Ontario. In the fall, the white cascades are adorned with richly colored maple trees. The scenery on both sides of the waterfall is like a beautiful natural picture. Take a leisurely stroll under the maple trees in her autumn blouse to feel the gentle beauty weaving in your soul.

Known for its rich vegetation with intermittent river systems, along with picturesque mountains, Algonquin Park really explodes in fresh autumn colors with the wonderful contrast of red, yellow maple leaves. and the dark green color of the leaves, reflecting on the calm water. The colors of nature surprise and appreciate you. Lazy in the forest collecting autumn leaves or traveling on canoes is also a favorite favorite of many tourists. 

Canada is really a great destination for those who love romance, like the chill of autumn. If you have the opportunity, come here to watch the rivers stretching in the shadow of the deep blue sky, the smooth roads full of red maple leaves, you will see how beautiful the Canadian fall. 

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10 Japanese delicacies you must try

Comprehensive experience of Japanese beauty combined with enjoying 10 delicacies is an exciting journey throughout, bringing the most meaning and experience in your discovery of Phu Tang. Each dish has a strong regional flavor and embodies the most sophisticated features of Japanese cuisine. Please go and feel!

1. Sushi

Sushi topped the list of famous dishes to try when coming to Japan. Like Vietnamese rice, sushi is a traditional dish that is never lacking in Japanese meals. People make sushi from small slices of fresh seafood placed on top of small rice balls mixed with vinegar. The main ingredients used are tuna, squid and shrimp with cucumber, pickled radish and thin sweet omelette.

2. Kaiseki Ryori

As one of the most exquisite Japanese cuisine, Kaiseki Ryori uses seasonal ingredients. Standard Kaiseki consists of 14 dishes, raw, steamed, grilled, stewed, hotpot, spread evenly in steps from appetizers, vegetables, soups, to main dishes containing protein, side dishes, tea and desserts. Among the dishes are special herbal drinks for guests to "wash" the taste, and ready to enjoy a whole new dish.

3. Soba Noodles

Soba noodles are especially loved by Japanese people because of the taste of the noodles. The noodles are long and chewy, dark brown, made by mixing buckwheat and wheat flour and then kneading and cutting into small pieces. Soba noodles are served with meat broth or sauces and have hundreds of different flavors. This dish can be eaten hot or cold dipped with soy sauce, grated radish, seaweed, mustard and scallions.

4. Shabu shabu hotpot with Kobe beef

Shabu Shabu hot pot represents the exquisite Japanese culinary culture, appealing not only for its rich taste but also for its unique enjoyment. In particular, the best Shabu Shabu hotpot is when served with excellent Kobe beef with delicate flavor and comes with tofu and vegetables, including cabbage, chrysanthemum leaves, onions, carrots, shiitake mushrooms. , enoki mushrooms, udon noodles, ...

5. Tempura

Tempura brings diners a new taste, crunchy on the outside but soft and sweet inside. The main ingredient is shrimp or seasonal fish, vegetables are washed, then covered in a mixture of eggs, water and flour to let the dough stick to the body and deep fry in a hot oil pan until the dough layer turn yellow, serve with chili sauce.

6. A side dish of Izakaya and Sake

Izakaya is a place where Japanese people and friends often go to relieve stress after a hard working day. There are many types of beer and wine served with snacks, especially sake. This is a famous rice wine with unique flavors of Japanese people dating back to ancient times. Diners just drink sake and enjoy delicious drinks.

7. Okonomiyaki pancakes

This is a cake made from a mixture of rice flour, eggs, vegetables, meat and a lot of other ingredients. When baking, chefs often add cabbage to the surface of the egg. When cooked, you can sprinkle the sauces to eat with seaweed or tuna meat are very delicious and flavor the cake. This is one of the certain dishes you must enjoy when traveling to Osaka.

8. Eel rice

This dish is always ranked in the "top" of the most popular Japanese dishes. Eel is clean, sliced ​​in half, flattened out, drained of bones, sprinkled with spices, cooked with an irresistible aroma. Each fragrant, fragrant white rice with the greasy taste of grilled eel and fresh seaweed soup gives you a true Japanese style eel rice. Eel rice has a high nutritious value and is very good for health.

9. Chanko Nabe hotpot

Chanko Nabe is known as a traditional hot pot of the Sumo world with chicken, seafood, potatoes and vegetables. In addition, there are ingredients in rice, noodles so they can maintain a weight when competing. The most common nabe is yosenabe which consists of meat, fish, eggs, tofu, vegetables cooked in a pot served with miso or soy sauce. What a great dish suitable for the cold winter.

10. Fresh fruits clean according to season

Japanese fruits are available all year round, each waking season has its own unique flavor, meeting the clean standards by the strict food safety control regime. Every fruit season, the farms in the Yamanashi, Kofu areas, ... often open to tourists to buy tickets to visit and can pick their own ripe fruits and enjoy right at the garden is very interesting.

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The custom of worshiping fish of the Southern fishermen

Not only in the central coast, there are mausoleums and temples for whales (whales), but the southern coastal region also has many places of worshiping his fish, of which the two largest places are the Ong tombs at Vam Lang ( Go Cong) and the mausoleum of Ong in Vung Tau (Dinh Tam Thang Tam's temple).

According to Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi book, in the continental part of Nam Viet province, the mausoleum of Ong in Vung Tau worshiped Nam Hai Long Vuong, and Vam Lang worshiped Nam Hai the general, who worshiped the god of fish.

According to Mr. Thai Van Kiem, author of the book "Vietnamese Land of Heaven", the custom of worshiping Ong is passed down by the Chiem Thanh people. In ancient Champa land, there were many songs about the god of fish. According to that song, the three children of King Ky Nam (Patan Gahlan) combined with Ong to dwell in this land. When the Ong fish departs, all other fish must follow the flock. Nowadays, people worship Ong fish because in the opinion of the fishermen, this fish always helps people in distress when going to the beach and has never seen this fish ever harmful to anyone.

Occasionally, some of the dead fishes who drifted from the shore drifted to the shore, and the fishermen saw the synergies and brought "Mr." to the beach and took care of the funeral. Fish that he died called "Mr." implications. The northeast monsoon season is the most "Mr." season. According to the fisherman's belief, the reason "Mr." is caused by several reasons: one is that "Mr." is too old and exhausted; secondly, being forced by other fishes to cause injuries, meat has long been rotting to death; third was "He" was struck by the stormy winds and hit a rocky rapids and died.

It has been a long tradition that anyone who sees a "grandfather" first has the right to master a funeral (chief), calling on all villagers and vehicles to contribute money for burial. Fishermen believe that whoever is the owner of the funeral will have good luck and prosperous business, the Southern fishermen still believe, where the "Mr." fish is caught, the villagers there will have good luck. In the funeral service of Ong fish, the owner of the funeral is considered to be the eldest son, he must chow his mourning scarf and wear a thorny shirt.

Most of the Southern shrines to worship Ong fish have jewels. The fish head is covered by a red cloth. The "Mausoleum" of the mausoleum usually has three parts: the main part is the mausoleum where his fishbone is located, usually the whole skeleton or part of the skeleton; one side is the altar of the abalone (ie a guardian of his fish), one side is the altar of rational fish (also a guardian of his fish). A skeleton of a fish He must be a real skeleton, not a symbol.

The annual Fish sacrifice is called Nghinh Ong ceremony accompanied by a fishing bridge, on a certain day (such as at Vam Lang, Go Cong on June 16 of the lunar calendar, in Vung Tau on August 16 of the lunar calendar). , some places they don't follow. This is the time for fishermen to celebrate and have fun. And all related to the fishing net temporarily ceased operations during the festival.

Can see very clearly two parts of the festival and the festival of "Mr.". Worship day "He" is always divided into three times: the ceremony of Nghinh Ong worship, the ceremony of making money for gentleness, post-sage, and the ceremony of sacrifices. Meals started from early in the morning with a boat group to pick "Mr." fishermen called "Nghinh Ong". The boat is equipped with a pentatonic orchestra, a few people know how to dance unicorn. The boat had a flag of flowers, stopped at the mouth of the river and the sea bordered, had three imprisonments and resounded, then went to the sea, then the trumpet and the drum emerged endlessly. The boat set sail "Nghinh Ong" waiting for "Grandpa" to go to Vam. There were five boats that met him in Vác, the year that was good. Then the boat returned. The leading boat is considered the hero of the creek.

Next is to organize the ceremony in the village. The boat owners all have offerings right in their boats. Particularly, the worshiping ceremony of the village is to make money for the gentleness and after the sage. The reception of guests and dining begin with the seafarers. It can be said that the "Mr." day is the happiest day for fishermen. The last part of the ceremony is the sacrificial ceremony, which starts at midnight at the same day. The offering is a pig, two raspberries, wine and tea. Conducting the ceremony is an elderly fisherman in the village. The pupils of the ceremony and the pentatonic orchestra are the chosen men among the local fishermen.

Along with taking place along with the sacrificial ceremony is the cultural activities. Normally, villagers carry the bumper troupes to perform for villagers to see.

The custom of worshiping mullet in the South exists as a belief of the fishermen in the sea. The movements of worshiping and performing in this festival all brought a common content through the cheo baiting songs that brought him the wish of a peaceful fishing season, every village and every house.     

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Some special festivals of Ha Giang ethnic groups

Referring to the special festival of ethnic groups living in this land, people often refer to the cages of the Tay and Nung people, the acute festival of the Dao people, the Gou Tao festival of the Mong people or fire festival of Pa Cardn people ...

Maybe the festivals of highlanders in Ha Giang are not as large as those in lowland areas but with their original values, it has created its own unique and unique characteristics.

With a relatively large population, widely distributed throughout the province, the Tày and Nung people are known for the Cồng Tồng festival, meaning the festival goes down to the field. Every year in the spring, people organize offerings on a certain field before the village. Each family will bring a tray including: meat, wine, cakes, sticky rice with five colors to give heaven and earth. The prayers will pray to the heaven and earth for favorable rain and wind to let people do business smoothly, good crops. After the ceremony, people organized many games for everyone to participate in such as Tung Tung, Oats, Spinning, Tug, Singing and Repeating ...

In recent years, people inside and outside the province have often known about the cage festival of the Tày people in Dao Duc commune, Vi Xuyen district. On the full moon day of January, after the incense burning ceremony of Sung Khanh Pagoda, people here rejoice in the cage festival at the foot of the hill in front of Sung Khanh Pagoda. With the unique cultural features, the caged festival of the people here is increasingly attracting tourists from inside and outside the province to attend.

For the Mong people, the Gudou festival (gruôv taov) - which means the hill and spring mountain festival - is considered the most typical. For the Mong people, when the couple has been married for a long time without a son, the family will invite the priest to pray to the heavens and the gods and promise that if they have a son, they will organize a festival for all. spring happy people.

The festival is usually held after the second day of Tet, lasting 1 to 3 days on relatively flat hills, convenient for travel. On the opening day, in addition to preparing gifts performed by the owner, all procedures are carried out by the teacher. After the worshiping ceremony, heaven and earth gave the children and the health of the worshiper, the representatives of the guests attended the meeting to wish the homeowners, the villagers peace, prosperity. The opening ceremony was a paul dance, followed by a scene of singing by a boss (a prestigious elder in the village) and a few old men singing the lyrics. At the end of the ceremony, the festival took place very lively throughout the wide hill. This place is a crossbow shooting competition, tickling, there is a group of boys and girls playing bird nests, throwing pao, singing bucket plenh ... The most special is the Khau dance competition, people perform the Khèn dance on the pile , the high-pitched players also make quite dangerous moves such as bending over a horizontal burden on the pan to win ... The games took place extremely exciting although the prize for the winner is just a bottle of corn wine . End of association, worshipers and homeowners do the tree-planting ceremony. If the tree trunk is brought to make the bed for the owner, the beam of humanoid paper hanging on the top of the tree if brought to hang in the chamber, the wine bottle is poured out in 4 directions ... The festival ends but the people still play spring till the end Full moon in January embarked on production labor.

The Gao Tao festival presents almost all types of folklore of the Mong people. Therefore, the functional departments of Ha Giang are gradually restoring this festival for the people in the spring.

If the Tay or Nung caged festival or the Gao Tao festival of the Mong people, the festival is relatively bold, with the acute festival of the Dao people focus mainly on rituals, so the festival somewhat faint.

The Dao people are not only famous for their industrious and hard-working virtues, so their economic development is quite stable but also because they have preserved and preserved almost intact the traditional values ​​of their people. One of those values ​​is the acute ceremony - an important ritual indispensable in the life of a Dao man. Dao people believe that if they are not granted an identity, their advanced age is still considered to be immature but if their age is small, they have been ordained to be recognized by the community as an adult man. participate in the work of the lineages, villages ...

Sacrifice ceremony has many rituals such as: Ceremony of the lamp, the tree holding the lamp, the ceremony of lowering the lamp, the ceremony of giving troops, the ceremony to present the Jade Emperor, the ceremony of identity, the thanksgiving ceremony for the ancestral ghosts and the gods ... Xen There are many ritual dances of the Dao people.

The Dao people have many different groups, living in different regions so the way to organize the Sac ceremony also has different points. But in terms of content, the meaning is the same, the commandments recorded in the document of identity for the beneficiaries are directed toward good, absolutely forbidden to do evil. It is respect for teachers, appreciation for the meaning of birth of parents, loyalty to friends, respect, selflessness, non-betrayal, deception, lust ... These teachings are done by The oath under the witness of the gods, the heavens, the ancestors and the community should have great educational value. The offerings in each ritual have great historical value. Therefore, every time participating in the ceremony, the community can hear back the origin and origin of their nation, create national pride, remember the merit of their fathers to live in a way worthy of the tradition. Nice system.

From the collected works, practical research shows that the acute ceremony of the Dao people is a treasure of traditional culture with great educational and artistic values, a typical cultural feature in life. live the spirit of the people.

Speaking of the unique festivals of this land, it is impossible not to mention the fire festival of the Pa Cardn. The Pa Cardn has many festivals in a year, but the most notable is the fire dance. After Tet holiday, the Pa Then people often organize a fire dance for everyone to have fun. This festival with many rituals with mysterious colors such as after the priest finishes the ceremony, which means to call the ghosts to join the young men - usually about 12 healthy young people - then they can dance on hot coals, even some people even pick hot coals into their mouths ... For Pa Cardn people, jumping fire is a community-based custom, an opportunity for everyone to have fun and relax together.

Above are just a few typical festivals of a small number of ethnic groups living in Ha Giang. In fact, every nation has its own system of festivals. However, with typical living conditions of ethnic minorities, festivals of ethnic groups usually take place within a modest range of their villages. Not only that, there are many festivals of the people because many objective reasons have not been held for a long time. Therefore, in order to preserve and preserve traditional values, in recent years, Ha Giang has made great efforts in researching, collecting, and restoring festivals in some peoples. clan. However, this figure is still quite modest, in fact, there are still many excellent festivals of the people that need to be restored, preserved and introduced because it preserves almost all traditional cultural values ​​of the nation. there.

Researching, collecting and restoring special festivals of ethnic groups not only contribute to preserving the national cultural identity as advocated by the Party and the State, but also help to honor the national pride for Young generation - the future of this land.

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Ceremony of Muong Bi people (Hoa Binh)

Holding a wedding ceremony is a very important turning point in a person's life and also the happiest day, the deepest memory of a couple after having interrogated, must say "playing together so the door" , moving together so home. " Depending on the ethnic group, each region, each historical period, the wedding ceremony takes place differently.

Studying weddings helps us to recognize the lifestyle of people in that society.

Prepare the ceremony for the daughter to be a bride.

Want to be a wife, so the husband must first undergo contacts, predestined. In Muong Bi, boys and girls often have the opportunity to meet each other on festivals, fairs, in weddings, evenings often at night, or in the days of drinking wine or dating under a tree. moonlit nights.

Boys from this village moved to other villages to get to know each other is the main, a few couples by their own parents arranged each other to report the family's wedding. The wedding ceremony in Muong Bi is organized quite rich, diverse, sequentially through the following steps.

- Proposing to visit: Muong Bi is called to go "probing". When looking at a girl in the Muong or find her son is beautiful, just pair with a certain girl, the boys' family finds a person in the Muong who can speak smartly and respect the bride's family so that he can be dimmed. the boy's face to the family to consult with the girl's family. He often goes away in the evening on the tree (according to Muong Bi schedule) to his wife's house to ask questions. On the first day when he came to the house, he did not bring anything with him, just came to question, general idea: the uncle or the uncle over there saw that our grandchildren were okay with them. Can you love him or not? On this day, the owner of the girl's house did not say anything, but slowly replied, "Yes, I asked, I would like to thank you, but let my wife and I ask you again. The chicken must also ask each other what the situation is. Hearing that, he faded away. A few days later he came to talk about the previous day. The owner at that time agreed to marry his daughter and said, "Know what you believe now, someday you will have a teapot, or a bottle of wine with me and tell each other to believe. I asked him, sounding like he might like to go to the house. Upon hearing that news, he came to the house of the younger brother and told him: “If you asked me, that party will be happy to hear that, but there is a new package to speak up, you can give me a bottle of wine or a teapot I try again. star". So the "notorious" binoculars started. On this day, he brought two bottles of wine or a tea cup as a gift. The girl's family saw him dim to be a great joy for the family. They know that their daughters have grown up and beautiful, fragrant fragrance spread in the neighborhood, in the muong has been noticed by many boys. That night the parents of the girl's family held a small fun, he groped while drinking and chatting with his family. At the end of the fun, the owner of the girl's family said: “Dads, grandchildren or grandparents who want to love my child, thank you very much, my family asked my opinion, what did you say? do, wear the right to parents. " At that time, the bride's family only had a word to tell her that the date of her "birthday" was for her son.

- Cake tin (offering betel nuts)

Good days and good fortune, the male leader led the boys' family to the house of the bride and betel. The offering includes a large about 20-25kg, two loads of rice about 40-50kg, a burden of rice cakes 120 degrees, four, five bottles of wine, areca 1 chamber, betel leaf hundred leaves. All for beautiful basket, Muong Bi is called another knitting. Nine or ten boys, girls and boys carry these to the bride's house. Today the bridegroom has not gone.

After eating and drinking happily, the representative of the groom's family talked first. The representative for the new bride's family talked to her. After the "ti ni" about, the boys are more or less prepared to take care of the official wedding day for their children. A few days before the wedding, the boys bought a ceremony of wine or betel nut for him to blur to the bride's family to get married. Muong Bi is called nui nui. This day the bride's family officially announces the date of the wedding.

In order for their son's wedding day to be thoughtful, first of all, his family invited the nearest grandfather to the meeting table to ask for money and rice. After making a list of the interior and exterior, the groom's family prepared gifts, maybe cakes, maybe tea packages to each house asking for donations. Usually, our relatives and friends help each other get a bowl of rice and an ancient silver coin (one piece of rice is equivalent to 10 matches of sticky rice), and cousins, close friends, villages from near and far depend on their ability to help. support.

- The first wedding ceremony (li niece)

After the meeting, the official wedding ceremony has begun, Muong Bi called "li niece". The first wedding ceremony of the groom's family includes: rice 120 cups (about 100kg), pigs from 40-50kg or more and a small pig that they call it a big hoot, wine of two dozen bottles, areca one chamber, betel nut leaves, from 2-4 sugar cane. The number of people to follow depends on, as long as there are enough paternal, maternal, friends about 3-4 dozen people led by termites. The groom wears beautiful clothes, chit white towels, holds a bowl of cooked rice (about 10 matches of rice), which is cooked, on the mouth to feed two boiled live castrated chickens. And two other boys can be on the side of one side, one side of the grandmother also holds two bowls of cooked rice, no chickens on, Muong Bi is called pieng. Whether the girl's house is far or near in Muong Bi, it is customary: "I will build a buffalo and have a golden face", that is: the groom's family will go to the bride's house when the buffalo returns to the stable (about 5 pm) still have to wait at dark to welcome the bride to the house (around 7 pm). If they arrive earlier than the scheduled time, the boys' family may have to wait for hours to climb the ladder. When the boys' guests wash their feet and prepare to enter the house of mischievous girls, the girls often wait for guests to come in to pull the strings to nest the red and black ants hanging on the branches, the fence falls down to cling to burn the guests. Particularly, the groom and the two groomsmen must stay at the girl's house to receive guests. By the third night, the bride's family had a small party called "niece-grandchildren" to get married. The next morning, the bride's family fully prepared gifts for her son-in-law. Every activity of my wedding day takes place to end. When the boys' guests wash their feet and prepare to enter the house of mischievous girls, the girls often wait for guests to come in to pull the strings to nest the red and black ants hanging on the branches, the fence falls down to cling to burn the guests. Particularly, the groom and the two groomsmen must stay at the girl's house to receive guests. By the third night, the bride's family had a small party called "niece-grandchildren" to get married. The next morning, the bride's family fully prepared gifts for her son-in-law. Every activity of my wedding day takes place to end. When the boys' guests wash their feet and prepare to enter the house of mischievous girls, the girls often wait for guests to come in to pull the strings to nest the red and black ants hanging on the branches, the fence falls down to cling to burn the guests. Particularly, the groom and the two groomsmen must stay at the girl's house to receive guests. By the third night, the bride's family had a small party called "niece-grandchildren" to get married. The next morning, the bride's family fully prepared gifts for her son-in-law. Every activity of my wedding day takes place to end.

For the next few years, after Tet holiday, the bridegroom had to bring offerings to the girl's parents called "to take care of the family". The offerings bring with you the economic power of each family. Well-off people often carry bread, alcohol, rice, and fish (ie, fish are cooked with sour bamboo shoots or moi) and a pig is about 10-20kg. After receiving the ceremony, the bride's family invited neighbors to come and share the fun. The two families of boys and girls wish each other on the occasion of the spring new year wishing more and more intimate relations.

Marriage of Muong people in Muong Bi almost stipulates that a bride or a bride can take a few years. During that time, the bride's family had something wrong to call the bridegroom to help, at night, she slept in the outer space not near her wife.

This time is also an opportunity for the bride and groom to challenge each other and to recognize each other's characteristics, fully understand their future husbands and wives. If, during that period, the boy or the girl were negligent, either party could refuse the marriage to return each other's possessions.

- The ceremony to welcome the bride (ti du)

The ceremony to welcome the bride, all expenses are borne by the groom's family. Picking up the bride on any day, the relatives of the groom's family brought things to celebrate, mainly money, in addition to self-woven fabric or ready-made dress. On this day, the bride's family invited about thirty-three people from all sides with their paternal and maternal grandparents to take strawberries. On the day of the husband's house, even without the rain or the sun, the bride had to wear a hat, a beautiful dress, and a black dress with two ties in front. There are two people from one side of the paternal side, and one of the paternal side goes together called "piêng du". The bride brought home to her husband's house, and it was very difficult for her family to have two pillows, often two blankets, two lots, two big pillows to give to her parents-in-law, and dozens of pillows for her son to give to her uncle. , dear aunt. Leading the girls' union were the termite and two young girls from the boy's family came to welcome the bride. The delegation went home at dusk. The groom's family has prepared sparkling wine, he vows to pray for wine, vow rice, pray ancestor altar, take the bride to present before the ghost house. Entertainment fun lasts all night, all morning. The bride and penguins stay for three days then the bride's family will hold a ceremony for the bride to visit her birth parents.

In weddings the role of the matchmaker is very important, people have the saying: "He lifted the pond, the person who dug the well" is his reference. Formerly, if any husband or wife ate and lived in disharmony, Muong Bi called him to be blamed, even in some cases, he was tried for irresponsibility in teaching young couples. In any wedding ceremony, he will be entitled to a separate tray quite hearty. The family of a boy or a girl slaughtering a pig, termites are "eaten", that is, the meat of the buttocks has a tail of the pig. Muong Bi has a saying:

“Weak men, don't go digging mountains

Short-term, short-mouth do not go to termites ”

Welcoming a bride to a boy or girl who has not shared a blanket or a pillow right away, they still have to travel for a while, sometimes every year. When the bride is used to eating at her husband's house, the boy's family chooses a kind and easy-to-raise daughter, waiting for a good day to come and screen and stretch the curtain for the new couple. At this time, the new bridegroom no longer has to "compensate for the field" (according to the concept in Muong Bi is to end the time of the challenge, to stop the time of being considered as a guest who must lie outside) to be able to sleep in, and girls and boys officially wife and husband. If they share a blanket, they share a mat with the girl's parents, that is, the house of the dream, the bridegroom, before going to the room, they have to bow to their parents three times, meaning to ask permission.

In general, before the August Revolution, the marriage of Muong Bi had to go through many costly steps for the boys' family, the waiting time of the couple. After the reconciliation day, weddings wasting time and wealth have greatly decreased, boys and girls do not have to wait as long as before. Weddings today are organized in a light manner, not necessarily all the costs have been reduced, but rituals of basic superstition have ended. The tradition of helping each other, the forms of playing and singing as often as they are, the custom of drinking wine is being promoted in the new weddings today.

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Festivals and Ceremony in Muong Bi (Hoa Binh)

The culture in Muong Bi has many unique features, many activities that once attracted a large number of Muong social community to participate, with certain values ​​reflecting the social reality of ancient Muong and contribute to our search. understand the ancient thinking of Muong people. These activities are clearly revealed in holidays and festivals. Here are some typical festivals:

PartI: Society, agricultural feast

1. The council goes down to the field (the season)

A large organization in many places. In Phong Phu commune, the Association organized the meeting in Lý village. That place erected a large wooden temple worshiping Lord Tan, in the harem the temple has a stone statue. The festival takes place from the day of reclaiming (January 7) no later than the first day of the tenth day of the month of the tenth month of the month, Bi Bi, to be organized. The festival is open to the public. He mo on behalf of the commune people, wearing a loose-fitting shirt. wearing a swallow hat to pray for the holy prayers to help Father Tan lush crops. People in the commune operated on a hog to hunt unless they did not perform new operations. Instead of abstaining from buffaloes, they could eat later. People come to the association to bring their own rice balls.

The communal people organized a procession to escort St. Tản from the beach to the temple, accompanied by aqual music. In the wide yard next to the temple, boys and girls threw each other. Teams of buffets (gongs) from your neighbors and muong come to race each other's gongs. Doi Phong team of Phong Phu commune is arranged in order of 6 pieces: 3 small gongs, 3 big gongs: fighting in the way of 3 hours and 1 time.

In the middle of the lawn, there is a pretty big god flag.

At noon, those who are hungry voluntarily go to the shack next to the temple to eat rice. In particular, the commune people have prepared many wine scenes. Drinking alcohol is a healthy hobby that attracts many ages. There, the Uncle Chen has full authority to punish those who do not comply with the drinking laws regardless of whether they are civilians or religious officials.

The council went down to organize in Dich Giao commune in April of the Muong Bi calendar. In the commune, a buffalo meat sacrifices, just to welcome the people of Muong Bi (including 7 communes: Do Nhan, Quy My, Phong Phu, Dich Giao, Tuan Lo, My Hoa, and Phu Vinh) to repair their children. Lo ditch, originating from the Kem stream, flows through the slopes of the Kem hamlet to the Lam hillside. Each person came to work carrying a package of rice. Buffalos have sacrificed after sacrificing the meat divided by the armor. The armor oil split on the nail. After finishing eating, people continued to work until the evening. Each suit carries a gong to fight. Households in 7 communes of Muong Bi without people will be severely punished and arrested.

The ceremony to go down in Dich Giao is a big festival of the whole Muong nature. Mo muong celebrates the first person who made the ditch. According to mo, the person opening the ditch is not the Muong in Muong Bi. People who helped Muong design to open ditches named Ai Ly and Ai Lo. Ai Ly, Ai Lo are Thai people. Because, the Thai people in Muong Bi have experience in making ditches and building fading. The Arabic language means father. Ai Li, Ai Lo means father Ly, father Lo. The fathers helped the muong to build a ditch to get water from the stream Cream to water the whole Hot field created by Khang. Later, that ditch was also called muong Lo. When performing the ceremony, the Muong people give incense to Mr. Ai Ly and Ai Lo, a tray of a boiled duck with the idea of ​​remembering that people like to live near the water environment.

2. Meeting of rain:

In April, during the thunder season, the villagers waited for the water to cultivate, but it still did not rain, the village elders urged their descendants to pray for rain. In My Hoa commune, Dong Chuong people celebrated the ceremony at Tenh lun beach, led by Don hamlet, with a white chicken meat. That place has gushed water from the mountain, from the old people worshiped ghost water. They thought that the sleeping ghost did not hear the thunder, so he did not wake up to get water for the people to harvest. They also have eggs and rice because they think they eat them. After the ceremony, the people gathered together to take them and threw them into shallow puddles to wake up the ghosts. Everyone cheered loudly. Many people carried guns to shoot into the sky. Two neighbors Don and Chuong also marched the battlefield, Chuong was the enemy. Two fake neighbors fighting. The celebrant of the Don village prayed to the king to cause rain to clear the enemy.

3. Washing ceremony of rice leaves:

This ceremony is held in the standing rice period, around July and August. Families weave bamboo baskets with 6 chicken feathers around and place them at the top of the field, making many sticks over 1m high, the tops with diagonal plugs faked chicken feathers as plugs in the field. Many families even let children get chicken feathers around the edge of the field. Trays also presented many bowls of chicken porridge brought to the top of the field so that he could read the prayers to pray for less pest and diseases. Word tells about prehistoric times, the day when the land didn't have rice for people to eat. The Easy King sent the animals to find. Then the mouse came up to meet Mrs. Chu muong in the sky and asked for the red rice seed, 40 rice fields and 30 upland rice varieties. So the seeds of mice are free to come and eat. Ms. Chu muong gave seed and taught how to grow rice. Paddy field to sow. The paddy field must be soaked in water before it can be sprouted to germinate. The song also describes many people who have been involved in farming since ancient times in the development history of Muong Bi people. For example, in Dich Giao commune, the ceremony of washing leaves to commemorate the people who opened the land is said to be Mr. Ó, Bà Ó, Rạng, and Rạng.

4. New rice ceremony:

After a harvest season, before the new rice is eaten, Muong Bi people have a custom of making New Year's rice to worship ancestors. Muong people do not worship their parents 'anniversaries, the tribute to their parents' births and unions are combined on the days of making dances, celebrating holidays. The new rice ceremony is organized by each family, apart from inviting family members to invite others. In the past, people used to do little work for most of the cultivated rice varieties in the crop. The new rice ceremony was held in October. Before preparing the food to celebrate the agricultural products they made, they brought some food for the dog, the buffalo, and implied: The pets in the house shared joy with the people. In Phong Phu commune, Lo market area, on the occasion of the new rice festival, the lang is organized quite large, with making banh chung and catching fish in Pai Ai to worship rice.

Some houses in the area have a custom of selecting a few long-grown upland rice plants with both roots and cotton hanging next to the stove to keep the rice. 

Part II: Festival of folk beliefs

1 / Mu masking ceremony:

On the occasion of coming to any stilt house of Muong Bi people, when looking up at the roof of the house, they will see baskets of fox eyes and bamboo material on top of the group. Mu mask (masquerading as a mask holder). How many masks she has is so many children.

 Mu masks are held after 1 week after the child is born. The owner slaughtered the chickens and worshiped the child, at the same time making a mask of the midwife with a cane tip, a pair of cotton chopsticks, the Muong Bi people thought that the child was held by a midwife in the sky. Making a mask is a house for her to know her whereabouts, sometimes she returns to care for her owner less sick, quickly eat well.

Mask for each person in the house until old age. When sick, sick, elderly people hold rituals to hold a bond (called as a mu mu). Mask for old people and grandchildren to put in a piece of cloth called adding numbers, adding skewers through an egg. In addition, a few more branches of si tree leaves and silk thread to cover her mask. Folk said that the house of dwellers at the root of an ac tree just because the tree was fallen was so bad that it was necessary to make a tree pulling up the tree's health to return to normal. Masked with a coil is therefore.

The making of a mask for the legend is explained as follows: the midwife was in the sky, when she came to the earth, she had to pass through a stream, she used sugarcane to build a bridge, wiped it as a support stick and built a house to live in. Mu masks are meant to symbolize the foregoing.

The mo came to call her down on the moon. Today, there is a mortar pounding to the side when needed mortar mortar to ward off bad ghosts.

2. Praying ceremony:

Once certain villages of Muong Bi people were burned, the villagers said that because the hot land was so hot, they had to pray for cool prayers. After worshiping and praying, the Muong people will choose an old farmer to bring the buffalo to plow a way around the village and people will pour water into the plow. Word mo in the ceremony for all four gods: heaven-earth-water-fire support the village peacefully, coolly.

3. Fire burning ceremony:

The homeowner who built a new house when setting up the kitchen columns always had a ceremony to take a piece of bananas to cut three fish shaped into a cork tied to the kitchen pole. The village patriarch said it was possible to help family members avoid fires. The three fish are for the three grandparents to eat. And in the kitchen column, they put a pale green pumpkin. Before cooking at the new home, the homeowner performed a fire and prayed for the kitchen to put three vegetable heads and a stone to hold the host. In addition, take the bark off the kitchen four corners and keep the kitchen. Fire is lucky now. Unfortunately, off the kitchen god has a long way to go. The fire of the kitchen set fire to the house, we ate a bowl of rice, an egg, then he sent his children and grandchildren into the mat for him to lie down on the floor until early morning to wake up and call his children to get up to eat. Sometimes he just faked a little sleep and then woke up saying: "It's morning, sleep well last night."

That night in a new home, in the light of the kitchen fire, the homeowners invited everyone to enjoy a drink of sparkling wine. The owner also scattered the roasted grain for the children to pick up and eat boiled snail baskets for the women to dance and talk.

4. Ke Ke Pagoda Association:

Is a big guild. Every year, held on February 16 of the lunar calendar, attracts people from several communes in the upper part of Muong Bi to attend. The roof of the pagoda is said to have a rock called a rising hibiscus. The temple does not have a monk. People on the self-sphere have a prompt: Amitabha Buddha. The main attraction of the Ke pagoda festival is the forms of cultural activities. There, every year, there was a fun throwing event for boys and girls at the door of the Buddha. There is a spinning ground for children aged 10 to 18. There are exam shooting and shooting range sites. Whoever hits the target is rewarded with a drink of wine. In any given season, the Buddhist buffalo festival organizes the joy of blowing a trumpet, a Turtle. Attendees at all types of people, of all ages. Fathers enjoy the scenery around the wine. The bureaucratic son, the rich man, showed off the 7 to 9-long muskets and showed off his skills in shooting together. Ordinary boys and girls are intoxicated with the left fruit and their pickles are picky and sharpened. The ladies, they show off their new dresses, showing off their embroidery skills.

This is a great temple festival that has gone into the memory of many people in upper Muong Bi

As above, we have led to the festivals, typical ceremonies of the Bi region, so to speak, in the past, the rituals bearing the love in this region were unknown. Concluding in the memory of the elderly there are three major ceremonies called a little festive. The council who went to repair the Lo ditch in Dich Giao purely took a large number of seven valley communes as the foundation for the association, so there was a lack of festive atmosphere. If the procession of the Holy Tản procession took place in Phong Phú commune, eliminating the natural joys of the custom of drinking wine, whichever house in Mường Bi would take place, the action of the festival appeared faintly through the paths still flying back and forth in front of the temple. Although the Chu Ke Association in Phu Vinh commune is rich in fun but improvisation, it has not had an organization scale so it is not typical for an association of the whole Muong.

On the contrary, the clear engraving in the cultural life of Muong Bi people is towards the ceremony, agricultural rituals or beliefs, customary worship, shrunk in a family (new rice festival, making statues, building houses ...) or widening in a hamlet, a small muong (praying for rain - praying for cool ...) - In those days, people accept a dignified form, set as a precedent rather than an expression, the display of the individual's talents in front of nature and man in order to guide people to the beauty of the art that any society must take place. That, Europe also partly reflects the profound, moderate, humble lifestyle towards the inner depth of Muong Bi's people. That is an assumption.

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Unique musical instrument "Sao Khui" by Van Kieu people

The Khui is a musical instrument in the wind instruments of Van Kieu ethnic group. This flute has existed and stuck for many generations in the daily life habits of Van Kieu ethnic people - Dakrong district and Huong Hoa district, Quang Tri province. The Khui flute is used a lot in festivals such as: Ra Pựt, aka Aôn, wedding, etc.

Depressed ... Flute Opener!

The Sáo Khui and Xa Not dances are the most typical cultural feature of Van Kieu people. Since being present in the world, Sao Khui has been very "picky" among users. It is only for middle-aged users and especially for men.

Unlike other types of flutes often used for couples to express their love, dating, etc. The Khui Flute blows up to tell a certain story. The quiet sound of the flute makes listeners feel sad and sad and happy.

With the Xa Go tune, the traditional flute player of the Khui flute is divided into two groups; Two people playing the flute are the two heads of the band performing each time one side blows up, the people sitting around join them and then switch to the other person to play (like a response). The sound of the flute making people's hearts weed, weeding trees, mountains and forests must be moved to wake up.

At Ra Put, in Xa Nuot, the descendants hear the traditions of their ancestors and come here to help their children understand the traditions of their family, and at the same time express their affection. blood and blood among siblings in the family line of foreign-kin (also called Khoi Cu Za).

As for weddings, the flute of Khui Khui goes away with Xa Not to allow both families to instruct their children. It is to love to protect and protect each other in life, to live together to the end of the teeth ... because of these reasons, for Van Kieu people, the Sao Khui language is very sacred and important.

There is a conflict among families in the family, when this flute is sung along with Xa Not songs of the village elders, the village is considered that all these conflicts are resolved and reconciled.

Another unique feature of the Flute Khui is that when the flute player finds himself with good Xa Not friends (good response), they can sit together to play, sing and answer for days without getting bored. In the past, most Van Kieu men blew the Flute.

Not only used in crowded people or in festivals, nowadays the Khui Flute also becomes a friend in the middle of middle-aged rain and wind. However, over time, the number of people who know how to use this type of flute is decreasing and that is also the worry of the village elders, the remaining artisans ...

Sao Khui - a culture that needs to be preserved and developed

In order to hear, see and especially to better understand the meaning of the Flute Khui, we met artist Pa Kham in Kalu village of Dakrong district - one of the few people who still know how to make and use musical instruments this. Surprisingly, in the midst of immense mountains and forests, on the wall of the stilt house, Păp Khâm lovingly stored not only the flute of Khui, but also a whole set of gongs, drums, elbows, maids, khèn, stamens, etc.

Pă Khăm said: To get a Flute Khui like that takes a lot of stages. The Khui flute is made from the bamboo of O Lo taken from deep forests. The process of finding and cutting cork is very important. First, we have to search for old cork trees with long pipes, not too thick for the sound to be heard. Secondly, when you see a tree that can be used as a flute, you have to wait for a date, usually the bright moon day (15-16) in the month to cut the tree. Thirdly, before cutting these people, they have to sing a song - with the notion that such a song when making flutes will have a better sound ...

When the cork was cut back, it was peeled and dried on a fire for 1 to 2 months, when it was very dry, the next steps. After drying on the stove, people use red iron batons to make holes, this is also one of the difficult operations because it also contributes to creating a standard sound.

In the beginning, the Khui Flute was only used for middle-aged people because it is up to the fields to look after the ripe rice season; sitting sad sometimes when the rain didn't know what to do, they were looking for cork pipes to blow holes for fun. Later, they found out that the sound emanating or reverberating loudly, relieving sadness, the people on the field could blow their mind to the one on the other side and vice versa ... so they talked to each other in the language. flute. Since then, the Sao Khui was born and became popular, it exists with the cultural life of Van Kieu ethnic people.

It can be said that this instrument has become a typical cultural feature of Van Kieu people. However, in reality today there are not many people who know how to use this instrument. Artisan Pa Kham said: "At present, people who know how to make and use or use this instrument in the village are only a few more people. My clan should have gathered into a performance team of 20 ... ".

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Unique ceremony to call for souls of La Chi people (Lao Cai)

La Chi people in Lao Cai live mainly in Nam Tang, Nam Khanh and Mao Pho villages - Nam Khanh commune, Bac Ha district; Hoa Chu Phung village of Nan San commune, Si Ma Cai district.
The economic life of La Chi people in Lao Cai is still mainly based on agricultural production, they convert hillsides and mountains into terraced fields to transplant wet rice. In the agricultural cultivation practices of La Chi people, they always carry a strong belief such as: praying for the season, a ceremony for making rice, worshiping for pests and diseases, in which the ceremony of calling rice spirit is one of the important rituals that bring the most typical cultural feature in the agricultural belief system of La Chi people in Lao Cai.

 According to La Chi's farming practices, after the family finished the soil, before transplanting, the family had to make a ceremony to call the spirit of the rice back into the seeds, helping the crop to grow lush, the family had a crop. bumper season. The La Chi people believe that, after the harvest is a long idle period, the souls of the rice plants often do not wake up or "hang out", so the family must ask the worshiper When the soul of the rice was returned, the new rice crop flourished, the family had a bumper crop.

The day the family held the ceremony, the family had to invite a high-handed teacher in the village to come and help the family, in addition, they had to prepare offerings including: a pig, a packet of fish, a bottle of wine. deers (if there is no booze, the family can replace it with a bottle of soda), a ginger, four bundles of seedlings. The offerings are presented on a wooden tray by the host, placed in front of the ancestor altar so that the sorcerer can call the soul of rice to the family. After presenting the gifts, the host took two bamboo sticks to bend into an arc and placed them in front of the worship tray with the meaning symbolizing a bridge for the teacher to welcome the soul of the rice. After the offerings were made, the priest sat in the platter in a squatting position or crossed his legs, facing the ancestor altar, making a vow to report to the ancestors three-generation ancestors today. organize the ceremony, grandchildren invite the elderly to enjoy the holiday and bless the family with a bumper crop. During the ceremony, he offered a buffalo horn in one hand instead of a cup of wine (so the other peoples call the La Chi people a buffalo horn drink), the other hand to hang. Every time he called to someone, the priest took a pinch of fish, or a piece of meat, set aside next to a separate section with the meaning of the gift given to him, he had to set aside, and he also picked up a piece of the citadel. a separate pile next to the part of the priest to enjoy.

After offering the ancestors, the owner brought the pigs to cut the blood, cleaned the feathers, placed near the offering tray for the ancestor to give to the ancestors and the gods. After the living offering is the main offering, the owner takes a knife to cut a piece of pork belly and put it into small pieces, put it into a cooked pot, scoop it into a bowl or spread it on a banana leaf ship placed on the tray to worship. offering to the ancestors, the gods. He will call the names of the ancestors of the family one by one to receive the ceremony, invite to whom, then he will pick up a piece of meat and put it in the pile next, and pick up a piece to bring to the mouth to eat with the meaning as eating with ancestors.

Next, the spirit of calling rice, this is the most important part of worship, the priest will help the family find where the rice spirit is staying, may be in the barn or still sleeping, wandering around. somewhere, also when the soul is captured by ghosts, the priest will call back. When he found the rice spirit, the sorcerer called one by one to the growth order of the rice plant, first calling the germ at the beginning of each grain, then calling the seed, the husk, the young seedling, the rice, and burning the ear. , leaves ... until the rice becomes a grain. In this worshiping ceremony, the homeowner prepares a bowl of water placed before the altar, a ginger is tied to a string to find the soul of the rice. Ginger is worshiped by the La Chi people as a sacrifice of the La Chi people, which is the connection between the Yin and Yang people, so any ceremony of the La Chi people is indispensable.

After calling the soul of the rice and entering the seedlings near the tray, the host brought the seedlings to the field to transplant. The bundle of rice was assigned by the owner to his wife or daughter-in-law to transplant into a field with the meaning of mother rice, the first rice to start a new crop. The implant of this pineapple must absolutely be female with the notion that the mother rice plant must be transplanted by the woman in order for her family to have a bumper crop. After the first clump of rice, people came to help and rushed into the transplanting field, they both transplanted and have fun with the belief about a bumper crop.

Today, rice-worship ceremonies are still maintained by generations of La Chi people and consider this an indispensable practice in agricultural cultivation of families.

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