New Year's Festival of the Giáy
  • Manage No, Sortation, Country, Writer ,Date, Copyright
    Manage No EE00002610
    Country Vietnam
    ICH Domain Social practices, rituals, festive events
    Address Tát Ngà Commune, Mèo Vạc District, Hà Giang Province
    Year of Designation 2014
Translated by ChatGPT
Description The festival is held during the Lunar New Year, from the morning of the first day until the end of January. On the morning of the first day of the New Year, the shaman and a group of unmarried young men brought offerings including 2 chickens (one male, one female), Chung cake, wine, and incense to Bà Temple to hold a ceremony to lower the sacred drum and open the festival. After that, the shaman leads the group through each house, bangs a drum, and the homeowner carries an offering tray and joins the procession. Passing through all the families in the village, the procession returns to Ông Temple to worship the Ancestors. After the offering, the shaman holds a stick and "writes" the mantra on the drum and then beats the drum to invite the gods to attend and witness. After that, the shaman appointed a couple to receive the drumsticks and beat the beat on his behalf. Boys and girls wearing traditional national costumes take turns dancing around the drum. After the ritual dance is completed, the shaman represents the villagers to pray to give thanks, send the gods back to heaven and announce that it is time for the drum dance to celebrate the new year. People joined the festival, danced and poured wine together. After that, the young people took over the drums and together carried them to each house in the village to play the drums to celebrate the New Year. On the second day of Tet, villagers gather at Ông temple, dance, sing and participate in folk games such as bird's nest fighting and Còn tossing. The festival lasts until the end of January, the shaman and village boys carry drums from Ông temple to store at Bà temple, waiting for next year's festival season.
Community Tát Ngà Commune, Mèo Vạc District, Hà Giang Province

Information source
Vietnam National Institute Culture and Arts Studies (VICAS)
http://vicas.org.vn