Unique Tet Customs in the Northwestern Region

Discover the incredibly unique Tet customs in this article, unveiling the fascinating cultural essence of the communities in Northwestern Vietnam. 

Distinctive Tet Traditions of Northwestern Ethnic Groups

1. Singing Competition with Roosters by the Pu Péo People

A seemingly peculiar Tet tradition of the Pu Péo ethnic group involves staying up on New Year's Eve to watch over their roosters. As soon as the rooster flaps its wings and crows, they ignite a firecracker in the coop, causing the roosters to panic and jump around.

As the roosters' crowing echoes, the Pu Péo people also join in singing. For them, the rooster's crow signals awakening the sun, marking the start of a new auspicious day. Thus, whoever sings loud and strong enough to drown out the crowing is believed to encounter good luck and happiness in the coming year.

2. Ritual of Worshiping the Sacred Water Bowl by the Pà Thẻn People

New Year's customs involving the worship of the sacred bowl water by the Pà Thẻn people take place on the night of the 30th Lunar New Year secretly. Every Pà Thẻn family closes their doors, and the head of the household takes the bowl from the altar down to clean, scrub, and perform a ritual to request new water. According to Pà Thẻn beliefs, if this New Year's custom is known to others, the family will face challenges throughout the year, and the children may fall ill.

The bowl is placed on the altar, tightly sealed, and only at the end of June can the family open it to check and replenish the bowl with more sacred water. If the bowl of worship water is only slightly depleted, the family will encounter good luck, health, and favorable production throughout the year.

3. Waking Livestock and Welcoming the New Year by the Lô Lô People

For the mountainous ethnic communities, livestock plays a crucial role in the family economy. Hence, the Lô Lô people have a New Year's custom of waking up their livestock to welcome the new year. Additionally, they perform a ceremony at home to seek blessings for the upcoming year.

4. Lô Lô People's Stealthy Pursuit of Good Fortune

The Lô Lô people hold the belief that bringing something home at the moment the new year arrives will bring many blessings and prosperity to the family. Therefore, they engage in a discreet form of seeking good fortune, targeting humble items like onions, garlic, and firewood. Those seeking luck do so quietly, without coordination, and individuals avoid drawing attention. Even if caught, they face no reproach.

5. Tày People Fetch Well Water in Bamboo Tubes for Worship

As the rooster crows on New Year's Eve, each family sends a member to fetch water from the well using bamboo tubes, placing it on the altar. The one who retrieves water first receives abundant luck and good fortune for the year. According to their beliefs, placing the bamboo tube on the altar is a way of reporting to the ancestors, seeking their blessings for favorable weather and successful endeavors.

6. Dao People's New Year Dance

In the early days of spring, across Dao villages, families prepare their finest attire and exquisite dances for the entire month before Tet. On Tet day, families gather at the ancestral leader's house to perform ancestral worship rituals. At the appointed hour, the youth begin a series of dances following the lead.

There are a total of 14 dance styles, using wooden swords to dance to the resounding beats of drums and khèn. The dances depict daily activities such as bowing to parents and ancestors, hopping on one foot, fingers pointing upward, imitating the flight of cranes, swaying arms gracefully, or mimicking the movement of tigers. The dances continue in succession, lasting up to 10 hours.

7. Invoking Buffalo's Spirit for Tet Celebration by the Muong People

The Tet custom of calling the buffalo's spirit back holds a profound humanistic meaning, reflecting gratitude towards the animals that have assisted the family's labor throughout the year. The Muong people especially believe that after a year of hard work, both the buffalo and the plow deserve a rest. Days before Tet, they prepare a wooden pestle, and on New Year's Eve, they light a fire to call back the buffalo.

8. Ritual of Summoning Spirits by the Thai People

On the evening of the 29th or 30th of Tet, each Thai family slaughters two chickens - one for ancestral worship and the other to call spirits for the family members. The shaman takes the clothes of each family member, ties them tightly at one end, and drapes them over his shoulder. With a burning stick in hand, he performs the spirit-calling ritual at the head of the village.

After calling two to three times, the shaman moves to the family staircase for another call. Finally, the shaman ties a black thread to the hand of each family member to ward off evil spirits.

9. H’Mong People's Butt Patting Tradition

During the initial days of the year, the H'Mong people celebrate with various games. It's also a time for young men and women to socialize and engage in courtship. If a young man wants to express his feelings to a girl, he will approach and gently pat her backside. If she approves, she will reciprocate the gesture. If they develop feelings for each other, according to tradition, they must pat each other's backside nine times in front of everyone, officially becoming a couple.

10. Head Washing Ceremony of the White Thai People

From noon on the last day of the year, all the elders in the village, from the leaders to the young, gather by the river to organize the head washing ceremony. The ritual aims to ward off all the misfortunes of the past year. They also prepare bowls of rice water, slightly sour, and slowly pour it over their hair, invoking all that is good for stepping into the new year with freshness.

According to Mytour

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Reference: Mytour Travel Guide