TL;DR: Tết Nhảy is the common name for a major ritual in the ancestor worship of the Dao people, including the Pút tồng ceremony of the Red Dao in Lao Cai and the Nhiang chằm đao of the Dao Quần Chẹt in Phu Tho. The timing and cycle vary by group and locality: Pút tồng is held on the first days of the lunar new year; the Tết Nhảy of the Dao Quần Chẹt is held in the twelfth lunar month, lasting about three days and three nights, once every 15 to 20 years. The ceremony is hosted by one clan, with the whole village contributing.
What is the Dao people's Tet Nhay?
Tet Nhay is the common Vietnamese name for the most important rite in the Dao people's ancestor worship, tied to bell dances, sword dances, and turtle dances. Depending on the subgroup and locality, the rite has different names: the Red Dao in Lao Cai call it Put Tong, the Quan Chet Dao in Phu Tho call it Nhiang Cham Dao, some places write it as Nhìàng chậm đao, and the Tien Dao in Moc Chau call it Tet Cau Mua or Tet Nhay[1][2][3][4].
The electronic information page of the Department of Cultural Heritage records: Put Tong of the Red Dao in Lao Cai is the most important rite in the community's ancestor worship. In the Dao language, "Put" means to dance and "Tong" means "đồng" (the word as given in the source). Put Tong is both the performance style used during the rite and the name of an ancestor-commemoration rite[1].
Dan Toc va Mien Nui newspaper (Bao Tin Tuc) describes the Tet Nhay of the Quan Chet Dao in the former Thanh Son, Tan Son, and Yen Lap districts (Phu Tho) as a rite honoring Ban Vuong, the mythical ancestor of the Dao people, as well as an occasion for periodic altar repair and thanksgiving to ancestors and deities[2].
Where does Tet Nhay come from?
The origin of the Put Tong rite is tied to several legends about the Dao migration into Vietnam. According to one legend recorded by the Department of Cultural Heritage, when migrating due to drought, crop failure, and unrest, the Dao and Hmong carried ancestral souls in their arms, while the Giay kept ancestral souls in the flaps of their clothing. When crossing a river, the Giay cut off their flaps so the ancestors stayed behind, while the Dao and Hmong could not cut off their arms, so after reaching the new land they set up ancestor altars with a small statue and a sword as the image. From then on, on the first day of the new year, the Dao hold Put Tong to wash the ancestors (statue and sword) clean and prepare for the new year[1]. Another legend from the same source says that 12 Dao clans crossing the sea met a storm, prayed to Ban Vuong and the ancestors for help, and promised a thanksgiving rite; in keeping with that promise the clans hold Put Tong[1].
This is a legend about the rite's origin, not verified historical material.
Ban Vuong appears in both sources. Dan Toc va Mien Nui newspaper cites the Quan Chet Dao explanation: Tet Nhay is a rite honoring Ban Vuong, the mythical ancestor of the Dao people[2]. The sea-crossing legend that the Department of Cultural Heritage records for the Red Dao's Put Tong also mentions Ban Vuong and the ancestors[1].
In Ba Vi commune (Ba Vi district, former Ha Tay province, now part of Ha Noi), according to village elders recorded by Lao Cai newspaper in 2008, local Dao worship Tan Vien Son Thanh alongside the ancestor altar, and the bell, sword, and turtle dances formed from the four-season offerings to Saint Tan[3].
When is Tet Nhay held and how long does it last?
The Red Dao in Lao Cai hold Put Tong on the first day of the new year by the lunar calendar; the clan head chooses the date and usually avoids the clan's taboo days[1]. The dancing in the rite is usually performed only by men[1].
Dan Toc va Mien Nui newspaper reports that the Tet Nhay of the Quan Chet Dao in Phu Tho usually takes place from the 1st to the 25th of the twelfth lunar month, with offerings in the morning and a full duration of about three days and nights[2].
For the Tien Dao in Moc Chau (Son La), according to information from the Son La Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism published in Bao Van Hoa, Tet Cau Mua is held during Tet Nguyen Dan, lasting 4 to 6 days at the clan head's house, with the rite usually taking place before the 30th, that is, on the 29th of the twelfth lunar month[4].
In Ba Vi commune, Lao Cai newspaper records that Tet Nhay usually begins in mid-twelfth lunar month and lasts until before Tet Nguyen Dan, hosted by one family with the whole village attending[3].
Regarding cycle, sources also disagree, and this difference reflects real variation between clans:
| Subgroup and area | Name | Cycle | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quan Chet Dao, Phu Tho | Nhiang Cham Dao (Tet Nhay) | Every 15 to 20 years[2] | About 3 days and 3 nights[2] |
| Tien Dao, Moc Chau (Son La) | Tet Cau Mua, Tet Nhay | Every 3 or 5 years[4] | 4 to 6 days[4] |
| Dao in Ba Vi commune (former Ha Tay) | Tet Nhay (Nhiang Cham Dao) | Formerly held 3 consecutive years: first year 1 day and 1 night, second year 2 days and 2 nights, third year 3 days and 3 nights[3] | Varies by year |
The table shows there is no single cycle for the entire Dao people. Even within the same subgroup, customs can vary by clan and economic conditions.
What are the offerings and the ritual team?
According to Dan Toc va Mien Nui newspaper's description of the Tet Nhay of the Quan Chet Dao in Phu Tho, offerings include incense, flowers, lamps, fruit, a pig's head, chicken, sticky rice, banh day, wine, water, bronze coins, various flags, and ritual knives. The ritual team consists of three people: one ritual master and two assistants[2].
Before the rite, the host sets the date and asks villagers to help with many tasks: cutting paper, sharpening sticks for flag poles, splitting wood to carve knives, swords, hooks, hammers, guns, and command tablets, then writing characters on the tablets, hooks, and spades, attaching coins to paper as money, and printing horse images on paper. The quantity of each item is calculated by the host. Others cook the offerings, pound banh day, and hang ritual paintings[2].
For the Tien Dao in Moc Chau, offerings include a pig, glutinous rice flour, sticky rice cakes, sugarcane, and traditional musical instruments. On the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, clan members bring offerings to the clan head's house, join neighbors in butchering the pig, making ritual cakes, and shaping cakes to attach to a bamboo tree representing the harvest[4].
What is the sequence of the Tet Nhay rite?
According to Dan Toc va Mien Nui newspaper, the Tet Nhay festival of the Quan Chet Dao includes these rites: offering to Tet Nguyen Dan; the transition offering (from Tet Nguyen Dan to Tet Nhay); and opening the altar[2].
When the ritual master arrives, the host invites him to sit, pours water, asks about his health, then tells him about the altar and asks him to invite the ancestral deities, the upper spirit soldiers, the lower spirit statues, Ban Vuong holy emperor, the house-protecting dragon deity, the family ancestors, Tam Thanh, Cao Chan Dai Dao, and the Tien Duong Tu Phu to the altar, and to ask the lower spirit soldiers and the master's permission for the family and villagers to perform the rite[2].
The list of invited deities includes Ban Vuong holy emperor, the family ancestors, and figures such as Tam Thanh and the Tien Duong Tu Phu[2].
For the Tien Dao in Moc Chau, after preparing the offerings, the clan head makes offerings inviting deities and clan ancestors to celebrate Tet and witness descendants gathering, dancing xoe to pray for a bountiful harvest in the new year. On the morning of the first day of Tet, four or six people rise early to dance xoe to drive away evil spirits, wild beasts, and the misfortunes of the old year. When it is fully light, people continue dancing xoe to pray for wealth and for livestock and poultry to quickly return to the family, clan, and village[4].
At the end of the rite, the host (clan head) chooses two reputable, healthy, and prosperous people to dance xoe praying for wealth, favorable rain and wind, and a bountiful harvest for the clan and village. The host distributes blessings to households in the clan and village, and lowers the sour tree representing the bountiful harvest to distribute blessings[4].
Note that this is a description of one subgroup in a specific area (Tien Dao in Moc Chau). It should not be generalized as a common rite of the entire Dao people.
What is special about the dances in Tet Nhay?
Dance is the most mentioned part of Tet Nhay, and also explains why the rite is called "Tet Nhay". According to Lao Cai newspaper, in Ba Vi commune, Tet Nhay is tied to bell, turtle, and sword dances, creating a "Dao village dance" during the Tet and spring season[3].
Dan Toc va Mien Nui newspaper describes the dance taking place amid the ringing of bells and the rumbling, lively sound of drums[2]. For the Tien Dao in Moc Chau, the xoe dance has two layers: the early morning dance on the first day of Tet to drive away evil spirits, wild beasts, and misfortune, and the dance after full daylight to pray for wealth and harvest[4].
According to the explanation of the Dao in Ba Vi commune recorded by Lao Cai newspaper, the bell, sword, and turtle dances formed from the four-season offerings to Saint Tan, with the whole village eating, drinking, and dancing together after the rite[3]. This is the local community's own explanation, not a conclusion of historical research on the dance's origin.
Lao Cai newspaper also records that in Ba Vi commune, Tet Nhay was formerly very costly, requiring three consecutive years with increasing scale[3]. This is the practical reason many clans cannot maintain the rite regularly.
Why is Tet Nhay important to the Dao people?
According to Dan Toc va Mien Nui newspaper, Tet Nhay is one of the most important rites of the Quan Chet Dao, alongside the Ban Vuong offering and the Cap Sac rite[2]. For the Red Dao in Lao Cai, Put Tong is the most important rite in ancestor worship[1].
Tet Nhay carries multiple layers of meaning. First, it is an occasion for periodic altar repair and thanksgiving to ancestors and deities[2]. Second, it is an occasion for cau mua: praying for favorable rain and wind, human health and prosperity, people overcoming hardship, and unity against forces harming peaceful life[2]. Third, it is a community occasion: although held only at the "main house" (the house with the ancestor altar) of one family, the whole village joins from cooking to ritual, so it is regarded as a common Tet for the whole area, expressing reverence, gratitude, and commemoration of ancestral merit[2].
For the Tien Dao in Moc Chau, Tet Cau Mua is the largest festival of the Dao people in general and the Tien Dao in Moc Chau in particular, a clan festival but with common meaning for the whole community living in the same area. The two main meanings stated are thanksgiving and praying for blessings and fortune[4].
How is Tet Nhay being preserved today?
According to Bao Van Hoa in 2022, very few Tien Dao clans maintain Tet Cau Mua, and Tet Cau Mua exists only in some clans within the Dao community[4]. This is a sign that the practice scope has narrowed compared to before.
Bao Van Hoa in 2022 also records the reenactment of Tet Cau Mua and Tet Nhay of the Tien Dao in the former Moc Chau district (Son La) at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism during the April 30 and May 1 holidays, to enhance cultural promotion and create experiences for visitors[4].
