| Description |
New rice festival is a traditional event celebrated by the La Chi ethnic group for a long time. It is held annually in the ninth lunar month when the rice harvest comes. The La Chi believe that celebrating new rice during the harvest season is an opportunity to give thanks to heaven and earth, ancestors that have blessed the good harvest, which also means inviting ancestors to have new rice first and their descendants eat new rice then. In addition, new rice festival is an opportunity for villagers to pray to ancestors, heaven and earth for good health, prosperity, happiness, fruitful crops, good breeding of poultry and cattle, etc...New rice festival is accompanied with specific traditional customs such as worshiping the mother of rice, pounding green rice (cốm), worshiping ancestors at the patriarch’s house, worshiping ancestors by families. Besides these customs, such folk games as swinging, đánh yến, đánh sảng and singing folk songs have well preserved by the La Chí ethnic group in Nà Khương commune. |
| Social and cultural significance |
The La Chi believe that celebrating new rice during the harvest season is an opportunity to give thanks to heaven and earth, ancestors that have blessed the good harvest, which also means inviting ancestors to have new rice first and their descendants eat new rice then. In addition, new rice festival is an opportunity for villagers to pray to ancestors, heaven and earth for good health, prosperity, happiness, fruitful crops, good breeding of poultry and cattle, etc... |
| Transmission method |
Most of heritage practices are passed down through oral way and practiced directly at the festival. The elders and sorcerers play an important role in guiding the young generation to practice it |
| Community |
The holders of New rice festival are the La Chí ethnic group in Hà Giang province |
