Lunar New Year is the biggest Tet festival in the year, beginning from 30thDecember to 3rd January in lunar calendar. Tay , Nung ethnic groups attach much importance to the festival and make a very thorough preparation for festival days.
Tet Festival of Mong ethnic group: Annually, Mong people often welcome two big Tet festivals including New Year festival and festival on 5th May.
Tet Festival of Dao ethnic group: In festival days, Dao people offer rice seeds, a bunch of rice, agricultural equipments, puppet of people, puppet of the sun, etc made from paper to their ancestors. Then, the landlord invites the wizard to pray the earth, the sky and their ancestors for favorable climate, good harvest, a comfortable life for everyone. During the ceremony in one day and one night, strangers shouldn’t come to visit the family and family’s members also shouldn’t visit other families.
Dap Noi Tet festival means 12px New Year festival according to Tay language.Tay people welcome the festival by the end of lunar January. It is the festival to see off January.
Thanh Minh Tet festival (Grave visiting festival) is held on 3rd March in lunar calendar. This is the festival for the whole family or generation to visit, burning incense to their ancestors, and redecorating their ancestors’ graves. Grave visiting is expressing the memory, greatly gratitude of the posterity for their ancestors’ virtues. Therefore, posterity who even lives very far away all try to take part in this special festival
Doan Ngo Tet festival (Insects killing festival) is held on 5th May in lunar calendar. Alcohol made of sticky rice, cake made from sticky rice flour dipped in lye, and fresh fruit are dispensable food in this day.
Khoan Vai festival is held on 6th in lunar calendar. The festival means collecting soul, paying for cattle, and herd skids after harvesting. In that early morning, every herd skid bring a cooked chicken, a handful of sticky rice, some kinds of fruits and drinks that are prepared by his family. These foods must be eaten in the day, and some are given to cattle.
Mid July festival is the second biggest yearly festival on 15th July in lunar calendar. Apart from the purpose of offering ancestors, this is also considered as a chance for Tay , Nung ethnic people to offer to homeless souls in order to prevent bad luck that may be created by these souls. In mid July festival, every family included father, mother, and children visits relatives of distaff side and burn incenses to their ancestors. It is called pay tai in local language. The offerings are often one or two ducks, wine, and glutinous rice cake dyed black in a concoction of leaves.
Mid-Autumn festival: In many localities, Tay , Nung ethnic people often holds fresh rice eating ceremony in mid autumn. Main foods are made from available materials in locality. During the ceremony, people also organize many interesting games for children.
Fresh rice festival is held on 9th September in lunar calendar. The festival is celebrated quite great. Particularly, every household makes com (green rice flakes) from tender rice.
Winter solstice festival: People make coong phu cake during the festival. This kind of cake is very delicious in the winter solstice days
