Hà Nhì people celebrate traditional New Year Festival

ĐBP - The Hà Nhì people in Điện Biên, a northern mountainous province, have successfully preserved numerous traditional cultural values that showcase their unique identity. One such manifestation is the observance of Khù Sự Chà, their traditional New Year Festival, held in December.

Girls in traditional costumes perform during the Khù Sự Chà, the traditional New Year Festival in Tả Kố Khừ village, Sín Thầu commune, Mường Nhé district in the northern province of Điện Biên. Photos by Diệp Chi

As one of the 19 ethnic groups in the province, the Hà Nhì predominantly inhabit 21 villages across four bordering communes in Mường Nhé District, namely Sín Thầu, Chung Chải, Sen Thượng, and Leng Su Sìn.

The Hà Nhì's traditional New Year, known as Khù Sự Chà, typically spans three days in December. Similar to other ethnic communities' traditional festivals, it serves as a time for families to express gratitude to their ancestors. The occasion provides an opportunity for people to reunite, reflect on and share experiences from the past year, celebrate the arrival of spring, and extend wishes for a prosperous new year over glasses of wine.

According to Hà Nhì customs, on the morning of the first day of the new year, families prepare bánh trôi (sticky rice cakes) as an offering to their ancestors. This ritual symbolizes the transition from the old to the new year and acts as a symbolic meal for ancestors joining in the New Year celebrations.

Local residents and tourists participate in the folk dance during Khù Sự Chà Festival in Tả Kố Khừ village, Sín Thầu commune.

During the ceremony, the host molds three large, evenly round cakes, boils them, places them on a fresh banana leaf, sprinkles fragrant roasted sesame seeds, and then offers them on the ancestral altar.

Following the ritual, family members can enjoy the cakes before proceeding to slaughter a pig. The pork serves both as an offering in the ancestral worship ritual and as sustenance for the family during the Tết days.

Offering pork to the ancestors is a mandatory ritual for the Hà Nhì, symbolizing cleanliness and a desire for a fresh start. Before slaughtering the pig, the host pours water over its neck, symbolizing the washing away of misfortunes from the previous year, ushering in a new and better year.

Hà Nhì ethnic women make bánh giầy in preparation for the Khù Sự Chà Festival.

During the pig slaughtering ceremony, the Hà Nhì people have a tradition of examining the pig's liver to predict life in the new year. A healthy and vibrant liver indicates thriving livestock farming and brings luck to the family.

On the second day of Tết, families prepare bánh giầy (round glutinous rice cake) to offer as gifts to distant guests, showcasing the hospitality and warmth of the Hà Nhì people.

Festive visits continue on the second day, with households preparing various dishes and engaging in traditional activities such as singing folk songs and dancing. These elements contribute to a vibrant and joyful Tết atmosphere for the Hà Nhì people on the borderlands of their homeland.

By Diệp Chi
Comment

You have 500/500 characters left

Please enter 5 or more characters!!!

Recent news

  • 'Điện Biên announces Secretariat’s decision on personnel work

    Điện Biên announces Secretariat’s decision on personnel work

    NEWS - POLITICS -
    ĐBP - On May 7, the Standing Board of the Điện Biên provincial Party Committee held a conference to announce the decisions of the Secretariat regarding the designation of Phùng Mạnh Hùng, Chief Prosecutor of the provincial People’s Procuracy, and Senior Colonel Vương Đình Hòa, Political Commissar of the provincial Military Command, to participate in the Executive Board of the Điện Biên provincial Party Committee for the 2025-2030 term.
  • 'Private economy needs additional “leverage”

    Private economy needs additional “leverage”

    ECONOMY -
    ĐBP - Identified as one of the important drivers of the economy, the private economic sector in Điện Biên province is showing positive movements. From enterprises investing in energy, tourism, and education to agricultural processing facilities, the private sector is gradually creating more jobs, increasing the value of local products, and expanding economic development space.
  • 'Mechanization - Economic lever for rural areas

    Mechanization - Economic lever for rural areas

    ECONOMY -
    ĐBP - In recent years, farmers in Điện Biên province have been actively integrating machinery into nearly all production stages, from soil preparation and planting to harvesting, preservation, and processing. This shift has not only liberated labor but also opened a path for the development of sustainable commodity agriculture, aligning perfectly with the province’s strategic agricultural restructuring requirements.
  • 'Điện Biên emerges as rising investment destination

    Điện Biên emerges as rising investment destination

    ECONOMY -
    ĐBP - From a locality once facing numerous challenges in natural conditions and socio-economic development, Điện Biên is undergoing a strong transformation with a series of large scale projects approved for investment, opening up new development opportunities. These positive signals reflect the province’s determination and demonstrate the growing confidence of the business community in the historic land of Điện Biên Phủ.
  • 'Thorough preparation to ensure public investment efficiency

    Thorough preparation to ensure public investment efficiency

    ECONOMY -
    ĐBP - Based on Điện Biên province’s socio-economic development orientation, the preparation for investment projects expected to commence in the 2026-2030 period is being actively implemented by provincial levels and sectors with urgency, synchronicity, and strategic focus. This is a crucial task to ensure readiness, improve the quality of the project portfolio, and create a solid foundation for the effective implementation of the medium-term public investment plan.
  • 'Điện Biên gears up for timely coffee and macadamia planting

    Điện Biên gears up for timely coffee and macadamia planting

    ECONOMY -
    ĐBP - Điện Biên is entering the rainy season - the starting point for the province’s coffee and macadamia planting campaign. These days, specialized agencies and local authorities across the province are mobilizing maximum manpower, accelerating pit digging, nurturing seedlings, and finalizing necessary conditions to ensure planting is carried out within the optimal seasonal window, thereby achieving the highest production efficiency and fulfilling set targets.
  • 'Creating breakthrough in tourism communication

    Creating breakthrough in tourism communication

    TRAVEL -
    ĐBP - In the context of increasingly fierce destination competition and the significant shift of tourists toward digital environments, tourism communication and promotion are becoming a strategic pillar in the development of the “smokeless industry.”
  • 'A sacred and special mission

    A sacred and special mission

    NEWS - POLITICS -
    ĐBP - Within the solemn atmosphere of martyrs’ cemeteries, some graves are inscribed with names and hometowns, yet many others remain unidentified. This void of information, spanning several generations, leaves behind a lingering sorrow that has yet to find closure. Thus, “returning names to the martyrs” has become a profound responsibility, a command echoing from historical memory.
  • 'Nurturing the green of Mường Nhé wilderness

    Nurturing the green of Mường Nhé wilderness

    ECONOMY -
    ĐBP - Amidst the undulating mountain ranges at the nation’s westernmost edge, the Mường Nhé Nature Reserve flourishes with the enduring emerald of ancient forests, a sanctuary for nature’s rare genetic resources.