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TL;DR: Khụ Sự Chà (or Hồ Sự Chà) is the most important traditional festival of the Hà Nhì people in Mường Nhé, Điện Biên, held in early December. It is an occasion to thank ancestors and reunite families, featuring unique rituals such as offering floating cakes, pig liver divination, and pounding glutinous rice cakes.
Khụ Sự Chà New Rice Festival: The Largest Annual Celebration of the Hà Nhì People
In Sín Thầu commune, Mường Nhé district, Điện Biên province, a place known as "one rooster's crow heard in three countries," the Hà Nhì ethnic community (including the Lạ Mí and Cồ Chồ groups) preserves a distinctive cultural tradition: the Khụ Sự Chà festival. In the local language, "Khu" means year, "Su" means new, and "Cha" means to celebrate Tet, thus Khụ Sự Chà means celebrating the new year. The Cồ Chồ group calls it Hồ Sự Chà, where "Ho" means rice, signifying the New Rice Festival. This name reflects the timing of the festival, which occurs after the harvest season concludes.
When is the New Rice Festival and what does it mean?
Khụ Sự Chà typically takes place in early December, not on a fixed date but always on a Dragon Day. It is a time for family reunions, showing filial piety to ancestors, and praying for peace and prosperity. Preparations begin days in advance with cleaning, preparing pigs, chickens, glutinous rice, and embroidering new clothes.
How do the Hà Nhì worship ancestors and read pig liver?
At dawn, families prepare floating cakes called "cha le" from glutinous rice flour. These cakes are essential for the first offering, believed to be the first food ancestors taste upon joining the Tet celebration. The family head also makes three large round cakes, placed on a banana leaf with toasted sesame seeds, as an offering. This ritual invites ancestors to celebrate Tet with their descendants.
Another crucial activity is slaughtering pigs, done only on the first or third day. The Hà Nhì believe the second day, the Snake Day, conflicts with the Pig zodiac sign and would bring bad luck to livestock. The slaughter follows specific procedures.
Afterward, the family head performs pig liver divination. The liver and gallbladder are cleaned and placed on a plate. A healthy liver with fresh color and a full gallbladder signifies a prosperous year ahead with good harvests and family harmony. Part of the pork is boiled for the ancestral offering ceremony, conducted with solemnity and full family attendance.
What folk games are played on the second and third days?
On the second morning, the sound of pounding glutinous rice cakes ("ga ba") echoes through the villages. The most beautiful round cake from the first batch is offered to ancestors. People then visit and exchange New Year wishes. Traditional games such as seesaw ("a chu chi"), swinging ("a gu chi"), and tossing a ball ("le po a si pe") take place. Young Hà Nhì women in colorful traditional costumes perform dances and songs along the village paths.
Why does the New Rice Festival still endure today?
The Khụ Sự Chà festival embodies the Hà Nhì people's hospitality and filial piety. In recent years, it has become a destination for travelers seeking unique cultural experiences and the majestic landscapes of Vietnam's far west, including milestone 0 marking the intersection of the Vietnam-China-Laos borders on Khoan La San mountain.
Summary table of the main activities during the three days of the Khụ Sự Chà festival of the Hà Nhì people.
| Day | Main activities | Food, offerings | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| First day | Ancestor worship, pig slaughtering, pig liver and gallbladder divination | Banh troi cha le, boiled pork | Pig slaughtering is allowed on this day |
| Second day | Pounding day cakes, visiting and exchanging New Year wishes, playing folk games | Ga ba day cakes | No pig slaughtering because the Snake day conflicts with the Pig |
| Third day | Pig slaughtering | Pig slaughtering is allowed on this day |
