A warm Doan Ngo Festival in a Tay household

BHG - As one of the ethnic groups that still preserves many elements of indigenous culture, the Tay people in Phuong Do Commune (Ha Giang City) continue to celebrate Doan Ngo Festival (the 5th day of the 5th lunar month) in a pure and undiluted manner.

This is the second most important festival after the Lunar New Year, reflecting the hope for abundant harvests and serving as an occasion for family reunion.

After a solemn ancestral offering ceremony comes the custom of “pest elimination” through traditional dishes such as fermented sticky rice, steamed sticky rice, grilled fish, sour fruits, and more, embodying the belief in harmony with nature and a healthy life.

Preparations for the festival usually begin on the 4th day of the lunar month. Grilled fish, sticky rice, fruit, and nail dye are essentials that must be readied the day before.

At the break of dawn on the 5th day, the small kitchen of Nguyen Thi Thuyet (58 years old), a Tay woman in Chang Village, is once again alight with fire. Amid the rising smoke, she quickly grills the fish and steams the sticky rice to prepare the ancestral offering tray.

Nail dyeing is a distinctive custom. The Tay use balsam leaves and turmeric root as natural dye. The balsam plant, called “si pung” in the Tay language, must be harvested with care — the flowers should not be seen by roosters, in order to preserve their red colour. This dye clings for a long time, often lasting several months.

Adults typically dye one or two fingers, while children excitedly dye all ten fingers, and sometimes even all ten toes. Infants are also dyed for good luck, and the remaining dye is tied to their ankles as a charm.

Five-colour sticky rice is an indispensable dish, prepared the day before, showcasing both the skill and reverence of the Tay people towards their ancestors.

On the morning of the 5th, grilled fish, sticky rice, and fruit are laid out. Fish such as phoenix barb and carp are carefully marinated and grilled evenly. Fruits like plums, peaches, and lychees are eaten first, followed by sticky rice and fish — believed to act as natural remedies to ward off pests.

There is also the custom of “talking to the trees”, lightly tapping the base of fruitless trees with a knife as a way of encouraging them to bear fruit, in hopes of a bountiful harvest. This is a unique rural tradition during the Doan Ngo Festival.

NGUYEN YEM