Coming to Sapa during the year-end tourist season, you can participate in the unique festivals of the people here. Each festival in Sapa represents the culture of each ethnic minority, strange and extremely interesting. Let’s yourvietnam.org list the must-attend festivals here.
Roong Pooc Festival of the Giay people
Every year, on the Dragon Day of the first lunar month, the Giay people in Ta Van (SaPa district) hold the Roong Pooc festival. The objective of the festival is to pray for a good harvest, prosperity for the people, good weather, and wind.
Although it was initially a traditional ethnic festival of the Giay people in Ta Van, it has spread. And it has become a typical festival of the entire Muong Hoa valley over the years.
In the Roong Pooc Festival, in addition to unique rituals, there are many attractive activities. These are fascinating games, dancing, and orchestra performances of gongs, drums, and trumpets.
“Come on Cong” Festival in Sapa
Every year on Dragon Day, the 6th lunar month, the Mong, Dao, and Giay villages in Muong Hoa gather at the temple in Ta Van village to hold the “Come on Cong” ceremony.
Each family appoints a representative (husband or wife), regardless of male, female, old or young. The Nao Cong ceremony prays for the gods to bless people with prosperity and good harvests. In addition, during the festival in Sapa, the leaders will announce standard conventions and end with a happy meal.
Tet holiday dance
Tet dance is an essential and elaborately prepared festival of the Dao people in Ta Van. It usually held on the 1st or 2nd day of the Lunar New Year.
The main content of the ceremony is to pray for “peace and prosperity” and “when drinking water, remember the source”. Ritual activities during Tet dance are unique, with 14 dances by selected young men or special rituals performed by priests…
Festival “Nhan Song” and “Come Song” in Sapa
This is the festival of the Red Dao people in Giang Ta Chai village (Ta Van – Sa Pa), with high educational significance for the villagers and prevention of deforestation.
Currently, only in years when a lot of forest is destroyed, buffaloes and horses roam freely and destroy gardens and crops, do the Dao people celebrate the “Nhan Song” ceremony.
During the ceremony, “Chau Chua” announced laws to prevent deforestation and punish those who violate them. “Chau Chua” is the head of forest management elected by the villagers. After being discussed by the villagers, Chua will compile it into the village’s convention, which everyone voluntarily follows.
The Mong people in Seo Mi Ty, in Den Thang Ta Van as well as in Lao Chai and Hau Thao, previously held a similar wish-making ceremony called the “Nao Song” ceremony. The worship festival in Sapa is usually the Dragon day of the first month.
The conventional content of the “Nao Song” ceremony has a broader scope of regulation than the Dao village. In addition to protecting forests and preventing livestock from roaming freely, the convention also addresses preventing theft, protecting crops, and mutual assistance.
Village sweeping ceremony of Xa Pho people
Every year, Xa Pho people often organize a village sweeping ceremony on the day of the horse, the day of the smell. Or the day of the human (ah ta also) in the second lunar month to make the new year peaceful for everyone, with lush crops and livestock. Pets don’t get sick or die.
During the village sweeping ceremony, people contribute pigs, chickens, goats, dogs, rice… to make offerings to ghosts (according to the concept of the Xa Pho people). The shaman performs the ceremony, and the villagers paint their faces and dance to pray for peace.
At the end of the ceremony, everyone ate and drank happily together. Food offerings to ghosts must be consumed and not brought into the village.
Gau Tao Sapa festival of the Hmong people
Gau Tao Festival in Sapa is an essential festival for the Hmong people. The festival opens for two purposes: to pray for blessing or destiny-seeking.
A blessing festival is for a homeowner who does not have children, has few children, or has only one child. They will perform a ceremony and ask the fortune teller to open the Gau Tao festival to pray for a child.
A destiny-seeking festival is for another homeowner that are often sick, there children are weak, even if there children die, there crops and livestock are gradually fading. They will also ask the fortune-teller to open a Gau Tao festival. Festivals are also often held at the beginning of the year.
Sa Pa – Lao Cai Field Festival
The spring festival of the Tay and Dao ethnic people in Ban Ho commune, Sa Pa (Lao Cai), opens on the morning of the 8th day of the Lunar New Year every year. The ceremony begins with receiving land and water and then the tradition of worshiping the spirit with the gods.
The festival starts with dances and unique folk music performances of the Tay and Dao people. But the most outstanding, funniest, and most attended are the performances. When trumpets and drums sound, the Tay girls open the xoe performance with graceful and skillful, inviting everyone to participate.
Keep going steadily with the sound of trumpets and drums. When the games ended, everyone flocked to the gaming area. The games here are mostly folk games such as shuttlecock throwing, stick pushing, tug of war, spinning, ball shooting, blindfolded goat catching, fat pole climbing, etc…
That ‘s all about festival in Sapa. Yourvietnam.org hopes that this article is valuable for you. If you have oppotinity to come Sapa, don’t miss to participate and enjoy the moment of these festival here.
