Early Tet in Dao village

It has become a tradition that every year, starting from the middle of December, the Dao ethnic people in Binh Lieu district are bustling to celebrate the early Tet of the nation. According to Dao customs, the early Tet will be celebrated at the head of the family (ancestral house) - the place to worship the ancestors of each Dao family. After the celebration at the ancestral house, the families can celebrate the early Tet at their own family.

When the peach blossoms are in full bloom, the Dao village is bustling with the atmosphere of welcoming Tet early.

Every year, when we receive an invitation to celebrate Tet early from our Dao brothers and friends in the villages and hamlets in the district, we feel a warm feeling - as if we are also the children in the family. Being present in Sam Quang village, Dong Tam commune at the invitation of Mr. Chieu A Tai, we can feel more clearly the warmth and bustling atmosphere of the early Tet of the people here. Not noisy and bustling, the early Tet of the Dao people is simple, rustic but warm and sincere.

Mr. Chieu A Tai shared: “Although we are the young generation, we have left to work elsewhere, but it has become a tradition that every year, no matter where we are or what we do, in December, we return home to celebrate Tet early for our people. Before that, at the ancestral house, our family celebrated Tet early, so from the 15th of the 12th lunar month onwards, families in our clan will celebrate Tet early depending on the conditions of each family.”

Ms. Diep - Mr. Chieu A Tai's wife cleans the house to celebrate Tet early.

Although this is not the first time we have celebrated Tet early with our relatives, every time we attend a family, we feel like we are children who have been away for a long time, returning home to reunite and be warmly welcomed by everyone.

Ms. Phun Thi Mai, Phieng Sap village, Dong Tam commune, added: “According to the custom of our Dao people, Tet here usually starts from December 15 to January 30. People believe that if we invite our ancestors to help protect our homes and crops for a year (performed in the New Year's ritual), then at the end of the year we must have a thanksgiving ceremony. After organizing a common Tet meal at the ancestral house, families in the clan can return to prepare to celebrate Tet in their own homes.”

The offerings of the Dao ethnic group are very simple, with simple agricultural products grown and raised at home, such as: chicken, pork, sticky rice cake, square sticky rice cake, stir-fried vegetables, rice,...

Preparing for early Tet holiday of Dao family.

Similar to other ethnic groups, the Dao Thanh Phan people believe that when Tet comes, their ancestors will return to reunite and celebrate Tet with their families. But instead of buying gold coins, the descendants in the family meticulously prepare stacks of yellow paper, made from acacia bark, then stamped with black oil so that the ancestors have "travel expenses" to return home. When all the offerings are placed in front of the family altar, the shaman is invited by the family to represent the homeowner to report on the work done in the past year, thank the ancestors for blessing the family members and pray for a lucky new year, peace, favorable weather, and a bountiful harvest. After the ceremony is finished, the homeowner burns the gold coins for the ancestors, and the offerings are brought down and displayed on a tray for the descendants to enjoy. The ancestral altar of the Dao Thanh Phan people is like a small house placed on the right side, close to the wall in the middle of the house of the head of the family, closed on 3 sides, the remaining side is for placing offerings and burning incense. When there are important events, the Dao Thanh Phan people worship their ancestors for 9 generations, but every day they only worship 3 generations.

In each Dao family, they will invite a monk to perform a ceremony to thank their ancestors for blessing the family with a year of peace and favorable business.

Just like the Dao Thanh Phan people, from the full moon of December onwards, the Dao Thanh Y ethnic groups in Binh Lieu district are busy cleaning their houses and calling their brothers and friends to help them butcher pork, chicken, wrap cakes, etc. to celebrate Tet early with the family. The warm atmosphere, full of solidarity in the village, has dispelled the cold weather, leaving only the voices and laughter of the people, who, after a year of hard work, gather together to celebrate Tet.

Ancestral altar of the Dao Thanh Phan people.

The early Tet of the Dao people, depending on the clan, will choose a good day to celebrate Tet at the head of the clan's house (ancestral house) - the place where the ancestors of each Dao clan are worshiped. The date of the celebration is announced to the families in the clan. Each family coming to celebrate Tet early will bring offerings (chicken, pork, wine, sticky rice, incense, yellow paper...) to contribute (or contribute money) to celebrate Tet together.

Families in the same village all come together to help with the necessary work. According to the arrangement of the head of the family, each person will voluntarily do their part. Women cook rice, pick vegetables, prepare spices, make traditional dishes; men, strong young men pound rice cakes, slaughter pigs, slaughter chickens; the elderly help the shaman cut votive paper, arrange offerings...

Tet is an occasion for Dao ethnic people to reunite after a year of hard work.

When December comes, when peach blossoms begin to bloom, in the Dao villages, Dao families gather together around the Tet feast, filled with the warmth of solidarity and the scent of spring. They entrust in it not only their wishes for the new spring, their hopes for a more prosperous and progressive life, but also their love, respect and preservation of their homeland's traditional culture.

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