TL;DR: The Sử Giề Pà Tết, also called the buffalo thanksgiving ceremony, is one of the most distinctive cultural practices of the Bố Y people in Lào Cai and is held on the 8th day of the 4th lunar month. In 2014, this Tết of the Bố Y people in Mường Khương district was recognised as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. Its most striking feature is the shared offering tray, to which every household in the village contributes, with a buffalo head made of seven-colour sticky rice.
What is Tết Sử Giề Pà and when does it take place?
Tết Sử Giề Pà, also called the Buffalo Thanksgiving Festival, is a prominent cultural event of the Bố Y people in Lào Cai, held on the 8th day of the 4th lunar month every year[1][2]. The name Buffalo Thanksgiving Festival (Lễ tạ ơn trâu) states the content of the ritual directly: giving thanks to the buffalo that helped the Bố Y people grow wet rice[2].
In 2014, the Sử Giề Pà festival of the Bố Y people in Mường Khương district was recognised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage[1].
The Bố Y are one of the ethnic groups with a very small population in Vietnam. In Lào Cai, the Bố Y community is concentrated in a number of highland communes, of which Thanh Bình commune (formerly Mường Khương district) is home to a large number of Bố Y people[1][2]. Lao Hầu hamlet, in Thanh Bình commune (now part of Mường Khương commune), is also home to Bố Y people[5].
Why do the Bố Y worship the buffalo?
According to the legend told locally, in ancient times the Heavenly Court sent a white buffalo down to the mortal world to help the people find a water source and survive a historic drought[2]. Another version, also published in the Lào Cai newspaper, says that before buffalo existed people only had hoes; two messengers of the Jade Emperor passed on his instructions wrongly, so people ate a great deal and still went short; on the 8th day of the 4th lunar month the Bố Y went to lodge a complaint, and the Jade Emperor punished one messenger by turning him into a buffalo to help people plough and harrow, and the Bố Y take that day as the buffalo's birthday[3]. The two versions differ in detail but both explain why the buffalo holds a special place in the spiritual life of the Bố Y people.
In the folk beliefs of many ethnic groups in Lào Cai, the buffalo is a "sacred animal", a symbol of strength, endurance and diligence, and also a possession that reflects wealth and prosperity[3]. For the Bố Y, the tradition of wet rice cultivation has existed for a long time, and the buffalo plays an extremely important role in farming[2]. Therefore, giving thanks to the buffalo is also giving thanks for the harvest, giving thanks for the livelihood of the whole community.
What is on the offering tray at Tết Sử Giề Pà?
The most unique feature of Tết Sử Giề Pà is that the offering tray is a shared one for the whole village, not a separate offering for each family[1]. The shared tray is contributed by every household in the hamlet, expressing the community cohesion and spirit of solidarity of the Bố Y people[1].
The main offerings include:
- A buffalo head made of seven-colour sticky rice, with a pair of long horns symbolising a strong adult buffalo[1].
- Eggs dyed with red colouring[1].
- A whole boiled chicken[1].
- Wine, tea, incense, and votive paper[1].
The preparation is carried out very elaborately and meticulously before the festival day. The men select the best batch of glutinous rice, dry it and pound it to get the rice for cooking the sticky rice[1]. The women find ingredients to dye the sticky rice and the chicken eggs[1]. The dyeing materials are all herbs gathered in the forest or grown in the gardens of Bố Y families[1]. The chicken eggs are carefully selected, large and uniform, and dyed red to serve as gifts for the children in the village[1].
How is the Buffalo Thanksgiving Festival organised?
The Buffalo Thanksgiving Festival takes place on just one day, but the preparations have been carried out by the families in the village beforehand[1]. Before bringing the offerings up to the water source, the Bố Y first thank the buffalo at home by wrapping sticky rice in grass for it to eat, one portion for each buffalo the family owns; the village elder, as officiant, sets the shared offering tray at the shrine at the head of the village's water source[1]. The offering site is the head of the water source, linked to the legend of the white buffalo that found a water source for the people[1][2].
Tết Sử Giề Pà is not only an occasion for giving thanks but also an occasion for community activity. Every household contributes offerings and joins in the ritual. The children in the village receive red-dyed chicken eggs as a gift carrying the meaning of good luck[1].
How do the Bố Y people in Lào Cai preserve this festival today?
According to reports in the Lào Cai newspaper, Tết Sử Giề Pà is still maintained and organised annually by the Bố Y people in Thanh Bình commune[1]. However, the cultural identity of the Bố Y is considered to be at risk of fading, so the work of preserving and promoting the cultural values of this ethnic group is receiving attention from relevant agencies and local authorities[2].
In Lao Hầu hamlet there is a Preservation House of traditional Bố Y ethnic architecture[5].
One of the people who has worked to collect, remember and pass on Bố Y culture is artisan ưu tú Lồ Lài Sửu, born in 1963, from Lao Hầu hamlet, Thanh Bình commune. From around 1995, she began collecting and transcribing into Vietnamese script the folk songs and traditional dances of her ethnic group[4].
Mrs Lồ Lài Sửu is also recognised as a person who holds and actively disseminates the folk songs, customs and folk knowledge of the Bố Y people[4].
What are the main features of Tết Sử Giề Pà?
The table below summarises the main facts about the festival, based on the cited reports[1][2].
| Feature | Tết Sử Giề Pà of the Bố Y people |
|---|---|
| Other name | Buffalo Thanksgiving Festival |
| Time | 8th day of the 4th lunar month |
| Duration | One day |
| Organising unit | The whole village, shared offering tray |
| Main offerings | Buffalo head made of seven-colour sticky rice, red-dyed eggs, boiled chicken, wine, tea, incense, votive paper |
| Offering site | Head of the water source |
| Object of thanks | The buffalo (according to the legend, the white buffalo of the Heavenly Court) |
| Recognition | National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2014 |
The meaning of Tết Sử Giề Pà in the life of the Bố Y people
Tết Sử Giề Pà carries many layers of meaning. First, it is an occasion to give thanks to the buffalo, the animal closely tied to wet rice cultivation and an important possession of the family[2]. Second, it is an occasion for community cohesion, when every household contributes and joins in the shared ritual[1]. Third, it is an occasion for passing culture between generations: adults prepare the offerings, children receive red-dyed eggs, and through this they understand the customs of their ethnic group[1].
Nhật Nguyệt's perspective: In the context of an ethnic group with a very small population, maintaining a festival with such a strong community character as Sử Giề Pà plays an important role in preserving identity. When every household contributes offerings and joins in the ritual, each member has a share of responsibility and a sense of belonging in the village's festival.
Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: For readers who want to learn about Tết Sử Giề Pà, the best approach is to seek out local documentary sources and works collecting Bố Y culture, rather than relying only on short descriptions online. For those who have the chance to visit Lào Cai during the 4th lunar month, looking into the festival schedule in communes with Bố Y communities will help give a more practical view of this ritual.
