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(Cinet)- With a 4000 year width of traditional history, Vietnam consists of 54 people with Kinh people of 86% and 53 people such as Tay, Nung, Thai, Muong and Khmer,etc. In filed of Vietnamese culture, each group shows some cultural identities in a long time, which reflects a pride of their own people. From customs, foods and social relations to some activities such as wedding, funerals and worshipping, a cultural development makes Vietnamese culture more unique and attractive. 1. “Tet” in some ethnic minority groups
Each ethnic minority group has their own New Year. Depending on custom and geography as well as historical condition, each group will have their own identity. Like Kinh people, some ethnic minority group based on water-rice civilization and variety of climate. Due to a weak awareness of nature, people believe in some religous aspects. Therefore, people hope to some best things through worshipping some gods. In some villages, people annually organizes some festivals with many activities such as songs and dances as well as some praisings for a good season aiming at maintaining some traditional cultures. Most of the ethnic minority groups have formed some traditional festival for a long time. Some organizations always depend on a climate circle in a year. In a year, spring is a suitable period for organizing a big events and New Year is named for the biggest festival in a year. Most of Vietnamese people always welcome Lunar New Year. While the Northern area consists of 4 seasons such as spring, summer, autumn and winter, the Southern include two seasons such as a dry season and a rain season. In Lunar New Year, the Northern will change from a cold to warm while the Northern turns from dry to cool. Vietnamese Culture is a unique culture in a variety formed from 54 groups of ethnic minority groups. Lunar New Year is a good opportunity which contributes to maintain a Vietnamese culture more redundant and various. 2. Some typical festivals in some ethnic minority groups: Traditional Lunar New Year for Cham people Among festivals of Cham people in Ninh Thuan, Kate is the biggest one, attracting a lot of participants (similar to Lunar New Year of Kinh people). Every year on the first day of July according to Cham calendar, (this corresponds to September or October, solar calendar), thousands of Cham people solemnly present their offerings at temples, towers, village community, or at their home. On this occasion, visitors can witness a sacred and imposing festival. Kate Festival is held at different levels on a large area from tower temple (Kalan) to villages (Paley) to each family (Nga wom). Ritual performance: Rituals performed by four following dignitaries: - Sorcerer Paseh (Po Adhia) officiating priest. - Sorcerer Kadhar plays Kanhi, executes a hymn piece, praising kings and gods with much merit to the country. - Muk Pajau presents offerings - Mr. Chamunay, tower caretaker, looks after sacrifices. Offerings: including: goats, chickens, eggs, a tray of rice and soup, a tray of cake and fruit. These offerings included specialities from land and sea. Each family carries tray of offerings on their heads to the Tower.
Royal costumes will be prepared in the afternoon, one day before the
official festival day. At Po Inu Nugar and Po Rome Temples, a group
of Raglai people from the mountain will bring the costume to the
Festival. The next day, the costumes will be put on a palanquin and
taken to nearby temple or tower, then the procession and the dance
performance group dancing around. After organizing festival at the above areas, Cham people also hold Kate Festival at temples, village communal house and their families. During these festive days, visitors might witness an animated and sacred atmosphere of festival. After worshipping rituals and reading biographies of Goddesses, Gods and kings there happen ritual dancing and folk songs performed by Cham people in front of towers or temples. Around the tower are hundreds of offering trays, including fruits, chickens, goats, liquors, betel and areca by the heads of families to Gods, kings and queens... to pray for happiness, good crop and for national peace. Kate Festival is a big festival of Cham people in Ninh Thuan province, occurring on a large area, attracting all members and connecting the community. This is an opportunity for Cham people to express their national cultural values via rituals and folk music performance. This thing makes content and form of Kate Festival more diverse and abundant. “Tet” for Mong people
The Hmong do not celebrate the New Year on the official date all the time as it may not coincide with the end of the harvesting of the rice. It is also preferable that the New Year festival coincide with other nearby villages so that the unmarried men of the village can meet perspective wives in other communities as well. The New Year festival must be at least three days as it was considered bad luck for it to last a day that was an even number. It can last a month to a month and a half. The three most important aspects of the festival are one, the religious rituals must be observed; two, the mating which goes on among the young people; and three the display of wealth. The Hmong believe in evil spirits at New Year. They clean up the whole of their house and get rid of all dust, dirt and soot together, they then take this outside and place it near a rope that has been tied to a tree in a loop. They then jump in and out of the rope loop, this is done to confuse the dirt spirits who try to follow but only get confused and decide to go away. By doing this the Hmong people get rid of evil and bad luck at each New Year. Religious rituals take place on the last day of the old year which is called hnub peb caug or the thirtieth day. They believe in a wide variety of spirits both good and bad. There are many ways to help keep the good spirits happy such as asking for their assistance for the year ahead. To remove the bad spirits you can do one of these rites as follows: Sweeping the House; the Magic Rope Nkaum Taw Qaib; Calling Home the Spirits; the Household Spirit; other rituals - give the family's money a rest for three days. “Tet” for Xo Dang people
Xo Dang people live in Kontum, which organizes a simple festival with two “Tet”, namely New Year of Water Drop and Fire New Year. Water drop New Year is organized on March. After a harvest, Xo Dang people organize a New Year and worship Yang Dak with an expectation for a good harvest and a happy life. People in a village will organize some parties with both a song and a dance in a few days. In particular, a water gutter worshipping festival will be organized in Stilt House on an occasion. “Tet” for H’re people
The H're people are an ethnic group of Vietnam, speaking a language in the Mon–Khmer family. Most H're live in the Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh provinces of Vietnam's South Central Coast, and number approximately 113,111. New Year of H’re people annually organizes in early February to late March according to a lunar calender. Previously, H’re people hold a whole month but only three days nowadays. H’re expects to all best things coming to them. Therefore, they carefully prepares before Lunar New Year. H’re people worships Kla Hoanh, Chem Prai and Quai Xirô including river & mountain, land and ancestor. The second day is called tareo Kapo and the third day is called Ok rok. Although New Year of H’re people takes place in three days but an atmosphere for New Year is inspired in people. “Tet” for Cor people The Cor are an ethnic group of Vietnam. Most of the Cor live in the provinces Quang Ngai and Quang Nam of South Central Vietnam, and number approximately 27,766. From October to November with a lunar calendar, it is time after a harvest organized in 3 days. The Cor organize based on the old man (a person with highest position in a village). New Rice “Tet” of Ede People
Spring is also the time to welcome the Lunar New Year festival (Tet). This is when the central highlanders enjoy their most delicious foods and join in interesting folk games such as stick pushing, fencing and crossbow shooting. An indispensable part of the festival is this resounding tonnes of gongs. “You will be very interested in the gong once you hear its sound,” said Y Te, who has a valuable collection of 30 gongs in various sizes. When the spring comes, people beat gongs to create a festive atmosphere and joyful spirit over all the villages. The New Year of Dak Lak is about October with solar calendar. Ede people will organize after a harvest. Depending on a family condition, each family will hold in their own style. The festival is placed in a middle of the house. The fortune teller will participate into the worshipping on an occasion. 3. Some traditional games in Lunar New Year Traditional games are a treasure of cultural heritage coming from a working process and inherited in a long time. Through some traditional games, people can promote a unity and a community each other. On spring festival, some Vietnamese villages organize to welcome New Year with many traditional games except from songs and dances. Depending on each zone, some activities for organizing show their own identity. Con Ball Games The young people of the Tay, Nung and the Thai minority groups in the Northern midlands and mountainous areas still throw the con at Têt. It can be played in many ways. One way is to toss the ball (some 6 to 10 centimeters in diameter) through a hoop. A bamboo pole several meters high is planted in the middle of the rice field lying bare after the harvest. It is surmounted with a framed paper disk, the players try to throw through the opening, a five-coloured (or white) ball made of silk, cotton or linen. This ball is filled with sand, or sawdust, or bran. It can be sphere or cubic and it has fringes. In the other form of con throwing, there are two teams, one of boys and one of girls on either side of the cay neu tree.
In some areas the cay neu tree is dispensed with. The ball is thrown
from one group to the other when the 2 sides 'talk' by singing
songs. If someone misses the ball and allows it to fall to the
ground, he or she has to hand over a present to the thrower. In the
days preceding Têt, the girls embroider handkerchiefs and the boys
buy combs and mirrors in preparation for this gift-giving. Swinging Peculiar to some northwestern regions in Vietnam, swings are erected and couples, usually a girl and a boy, swing with each other while singing during the Tet holiday. There are many kinds of swings, but all are made of bamboo. The bamboo gives charm to the play because bamboo is flexible yet very strong. The squeaking of the bamboo poles rubbing against each other is a joyous music. This game requires strength, bravery of the players and offer chances for youths to find their life partners. The best swingers can swing parallel to the ground. Some villages are famous for their groups of swingers who compete in tournaments at festival time. Hat Bai Choi (Tend Card Singing) Hat bai choi (Tend Card Singing) is the most famous traditional game in the centre of Vietnam during Tet holiday. There are 11 tends in this unique game, 1 main tend in the middle for the referees and 5 tends for each side of the main one. The game starts when the referee randomly picks a card from 33 pieces of the whole card board. The referee then sing a riddle about the card and people in other tends must try to guest the name. Which tend gets the right name first will earn the card. If a tend gains 3 cards, it considered “achieve” and a traditional band will perform music to celebrate the success. Dau vat (Wrestling) Dau vat (Wrestling) is a sport happens throughout the year, but the festival holds every Tet holiday is the biggest and most notable one. Unlike American wrestling, where athletes can punch, slap or kick the opponent, Vietnamese wrestling bans all those actions. Participants just can lock, push, pull and lift each other. In order to be the winner, an attendee must make the opponent up high in the air. But since the wrestling events, divide wrestler by weights, a win by lifting opponents seem to be extinct. Another different point of Vietnamese wrestling compared to others is the game is supported by the energetic drum sounds. New Year is the biggest festival in Vietnam. With a separate identity, some ethnic minority groups will organize their own ways but maintaining some traditional identities in locality. People believe that “ Tet” is a chance in a tendency of a happy and lucky year. Cinet |
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