This is an annual event which has been preserved by many generations of the Kho Mu people in Lai Chau province.

The Kho Mu people in Than Uyen district live mainly in Tham Phe village in Muong Kim commune, Me village in Ta Gia commune and Noong O and Noong Ma villages in Ta Hua commune. The traditional culture of the Kho Mu people is farming culture, bamboo culture and some characteristics reflected through their customs, beliefs and folk festivals.

During an agricultural farming cycle, after harvesting the crops, Kho Mu families offer new sticky rice to their ancestors with many unique offering rituals and fun activities. Each family organizes the new rice ceremony one day. One family follows another to create a festival season – the New Rice Festival.

Kho Mu people prepare many offerings for the new rice ceremony, such as can wine, distilled wine, a pair of roosters, white sticky rice, red sticky rice, vegetables and other products such as fish, crabs, mice, squirrels...

The new rice ceremony opens with the ritual "Inviting the Ancestors". The master of the ceremony respectfully invites the ancestors to attend the ceremony and prays to tell about the origin of the event.

The second ritual is to pray for good luck. The homeowner brings a bowl of red sticky rice with 2 coins inside to the middle of the house. The sticky rice bowl was poured onto the ground with the hostess saying: "Prospering". After that, attendants jostle each other to dig for the coins in the hope that they will have a new year with good health, good business, and a good harvest.

After this ritual, the ceremony master performs the fortune-giving ritual. The homeowner holds a plate of rice flakes, which contains 5 coins, and then sprinkles the green rice around 5 times. The Kho Mu people believe that whoever those coins fall on will be lucky next year.

The last ritual is singing to celebrate new rice. An old woman will represent the villagers to sing to celebrate the family's good harvest last year.

Besides the new rice offering ceremony, the Kho Mu people also organize other activities such as wine drinking contests, gong and drum dances...

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Ceremony master Hoang Van Tien (Tham Phe village, Muong Kim commune) opens the new rice ceremony with the God of the Soil worshiping ceremony. The offering tray includes a pig's head, pig's tail, a rooster, a bowl of rice, eggs, sticky rice, wine...

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Pouring wine to the roots of neu tree to invite the God of the Soil.


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Following the God of the Soil worshiping ceremony will be the new rice ceremony.


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The new rice offering tray has offerings that are different from offerings tray to the God of the Soil.

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In the next step, the men perform the ceremony of drinking can wine. Drinking can wine is part of the new rice offering ceremony.

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After the new rice offering ceremony is completed, attendants perform the sticky rice scambling ritual as each person tries to get a small portion of sticky rice.

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They are happy with the sticky rice they get.

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The homeowner then carries a plate of rice flakes with coins inside and sprinkles around. The Kho Mu people believe that whoever those coins fall on will be lucky next year.
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Singing for new rice is an indispensable song in the new rice celebration ceremony of the Kho Mu people. Ms. Lo Thi Hang, 78, is the main singer. According to custom, the elderly woman in the village will lead the song to celebrate the new rice.
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Finally, there is a dance to celebrate new rice.
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The dance takes place amid the jubilant sound of gongs and drums. The drummer not only beats the drum but also dances.

Doan Bong - Le Anh Dung