TL;DR: The New Rice Festival is a traditional celebration of the Cao Lan (Sán Chay) people in Tuyên Quang, held in the 8th or 9th lunar month after the harvest. It is an occasion to express gratitude to ancestors, nature, and the community, featuring rituals such as worshipping the village guardian deity, erecting a neu tree, and the custom of exchanging new rice.
New Rice Festival - A Unique Cultural Trait of the Cao Lan People
For the Cao Lan (also known as Sán Chay) people in Tuyên Quang, the New Rice Festival is more than just a harvest celebration; it is a vital thread connecting the community and expressing deep gratitude to ancestors and nature for a bountiful season. This long-standing custom, passed down through generations, remains an indispensable part of their spiritual life.
When is the New Rice Festival and what does it mean?
The festival is typically held in the 8th or 9th lunar month after the first harvest of the year. Families choose an auspicious day, often avoiding anniversaries of their parents' or grandparents' deaths, to give thanks for favorable weather and a good crop. The specific day can vary between different family lineages, with some choosing the 10th day and others the full moon day.
How do Cao Lan community rituals for the New Rice Festival work?
A key custom involves the first family to harvest their rice. They present some of their new rice to the village head, a respected elder chosen by the community. The village head uses this rice to perform a ceremony at the communal house, offering glutinous rice made from new grain, boiled chicken, wine, and incense to the village guardian deity. This ritual seeks permission for the whole village to consume the new rice and asks for blessings.
Following this, each family brings a bowl of old rice to the first-harvesting household to exchange for new rice. This symbolic act signifies that the entire village is now officially partaking in the new harvest, sharing in the joy and results of the season.
What is the Neu Tree custom during Tet?
A distinctive feature of the festival is the erection of a neu tree. Families holding the ceremony place a bamboo or reed branch outside their gate. This serves as a sign to visitors that a ritual is in progress, ensuring the ceremony's sanctity and preventing disturbances.
What is the cultural value of the New Rice Festival?
The festival is a time for family gatherings and reinforcing kinship ties. It instills in younger generations a sense of gratitude and respect for their ancestors and the value of hard work. More than a mere agricultural rite, the New Rice Festival is a cornerstone of Cao Lan cultural identity in Tuyên Quang, fostering community bonds and pride. Today, despite societal changes, the festival is still practiced following traditional rituals. Encouraging its preservation is vital to ensure this unique cultural heritage continues for generations to come.
The main rituals and customs during the new rice festival of the Cao Lan people in Tuyên Quang.
| Activity | Performer | Offering | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presenting new rice to the village chief | The family that harvests earliest in the village | New rice | Asking the villagers for permission to eat new rice |
| Worshiping the village tutelary god at the communal house | The village chief | New rice sticky rice, boiled chicken, wine, incense | Praying for blessings for every household |
| Exchanging old rice for new rice | Each family in the village | A bowl of old rice | The whole village is officially allowed to eat new rice |
| Erecting the cay neu | The family holding the new rice eating ceremony | A bamboo top or a reed top | Letting strangers know that the family is conducting the ceremony |
