"To pang" custom - the beautiful community connection of the Tay and Nung people

The Tay and Nung people have many beautiful community-bonding customs that have been maintained for generations. Among them, the custom of “To pang” is still preserved today, becoming a cultural beauty with profound humanistic meaning.

“Tò pang” means to send together, contribute together, help each other, share difficulties and shortages together. When there is a big event in the village, the remaining families will proactively bring their products to contribute with the homeowner. For happy events such as weddings, celebrating a full month of a child, celebrating a new house..., other families will send, contribute rice, wine, chickens, ducks, pigs. For funerals, they also have the custom of contributing white cloth and kitchen ash for the funeral (used to line the coffin when burying the body). This custom has become a beautiful custom showing the spirit of solidarity, mutual love and support in daily life, contributing to creating a lasting bond in the Tay and Nung ethnic community.

In the past, when life was still difficult and lacking in material things, with the concept of "Po ban - Ruong lau. Ban bau may - Ruong to slan" (The whole village - Our house. If the village is not strong - Our house will also fall apart), whenever there was a funeral or a happy event in the village, the whole village stopped all other work to focus on helping each other. This custom has become a unique cultural feature expressing village love and neighborliness. Before a family had an event, everyone in the village would be notified a few days in advance so that everyone could prepare. When there was a wedding in the village, they would be notified 9 days in advance ("slang lau cau vey") so that everyone would remember and prepare products to join the family's joy. There is no need for expensive products, but the family brings whatever they have, it could be a chicken, a bottle of wine, sometimes rice... Not only helping with products, the villagers also contribute to help the homeowner in setting up the tent, getting firewood, cooking, making the ground..., lending each other things like bowls, chopsticks, tables, chairs... From there, helping the homeowner reduce a lot of work, can focus on taking care of the main things like shopping, inviting relatives, welcoming the shaman, performing the ceremony...

The custom of "To pang" has become a bond of neighborly love in the lives of the Tay and Nung people.

In the past, many families in the mountainous areas were very poor. Thanks to the beautiful custom of "Tò pang", many couples got married, many families had money to take care of funerals, ceremonies, full-month celebrations, death anniversaries... Each person in the Tay and Nung communities here is self-conscious about the need to contribute both products and labor so that village and neighborhood affairs can take place smoothly, somewhat reducing the material burden on the homeowner. Whenever the family has a big event, the homeowner will send 1 or 2 members to receive the products brought by the villagers. The specific quantity of these products will be clearly recorded in a book. When another family has an event, they will bring back all the products or more if the homeowner has the means. "Tò pang" has entered the cultural life of the simple mountainous people, demonstrating the spirit of mutual love, willingness to help each other and becoming a good culture of behavior in the community.

The custom of “Tò pang” has become a bond of neighborly love in the lives of the Tay and Nung people. Nowadays, as society develops, this beautiful custom still retains its humanistic value, profound meaning, warmth, and spiritual connection in the village community.

Linh Nhi/ Cao Bang Newspaper

Source: https://baophutho.vn/phong-tuc-to-pang-net-dep-gan-ket-cong-dong-cua-nguoi-tay-nung-228369.htm