Quang Ninh is home to 21 ethnic minorities, the largest of which are the Dao, Tay, San Diu and San Chi. Each ethnic group has its own ways to welcome the Lunar New Year holiday (Tet).
The Tay people take water in the early year
To celebrate Tet, The Tay people in Quang Ninh often choose their own captive chicken from lunar December 10 and make very big Chung cakes, Coc Mo cakes on December 25. As the cakes are cooked, they hang around the window to the souls of those who were dead wandered to enjoy for Tet. These cakes will be peeled off for the children to eat, hoping that they will have a prosperous life.
The Tay people's life is always attached to the rivers, thus on Tet holiday, they do not forget to offer incenses to God of rivers.
The landlords with their children or brothers will go to get water. Along the way, they will offer incenses in some places along the way. The Tay people suppose that spring water is cool and clean, therefore they use it to wash their faces, hands and legs, as well as to cook Chung cake in hoping that of being getting lucky in the whole new year.
Customs of San Chi people
Like the Tay people, San Chi people also make chung cake from the lunar December. 27. On the New Year Eve, the landlord took red and yellow paper to cut a fish, and then on the 1st day of the Lunar New Year, he cut a 2-meter bamboo tree with its leaves for the family members to hang one of the two paper-fish on the bamboo tree while the other is stuck on the wall of the house.
On the Tet holiday, local people gather to play tug of war, push sticks, spin hit the poles like the Tay. Particularly, the San Chi people like to sing Soong Co in early spring. Many couples have been married from singing sessions like this.
Tet of San Diu people
The Tet for San Diu people is also an occasion to make traditional ethnic dishes to offer to their ancestors and warmly gather together with the family. The youngs will have the opportunity to be immersed with the Soong Co songs, while the children are playing folk games.
Dao people celebrate early Tet holiday
Dao's Tet lasts from early December to the end of January of the following year. A year-end ceremony will be held from the 8th to 30th of the lunar December.
From the first day of the Lunar New Year, the first thing Dao women do is feeding pigs and chickens, pray for luck for their families, and then go to visit their parents, relatives and friends.
In the early spring of the lunar new year, the Dao villages are crowded with the contest of making dumplings and Chung cakes. Tet is also a chance for the locals to take part in their traditional and folk games or Giao duyen singing contests.
With its unique customs, each ethnic minority group in Quang Ninh has a different way to welcome the Lunar New Year, but all of them have common wish of a new year of peace, happiness, prosperity for the community. Those customs show the unity in diversifying and enriching the cultural identity of Quang Ninh ethnic groups.
Translated by Hue Linh
