The sacred year-end feast of the Dao people in Thanh Hoa

Each year-end, Dao families reunite to prepare Tet Nam Cung - an ancestral feast that reflects their deep cultural roots and communal values.

For the Dao community in Thanh Hoa, “Tet Nam Cung” - or the “last meal of the year” - is more than a family gathering. It’s a spiritual and cultural ritual that calls every member, no matter how far they’ve traveled, to return home in reverence and reunion.

According to village elders, Tet Nam Cung is held in the final days of the lunar year. It marks not only the close of a year’s toil but also offers prayers for gentle rains, good harvests, and family harmony.

Preparations begin days in advance. Families clean and decorate their homes, refresh ancestral altars, and gather ingredients for a feast that’s as meaningful as it is mouthwatering.

The Tet Nam Cung feast includes a range of traditional dishes deeply rooted in Dao culinary heritage. Must-haves include free-range chicken, locally raised pork, five-colored sticky rice, forest vegetables, and handmade rice cakes.

Each dish carries symbolic meaning. The five-colored sticky rice, dyed naturally with forest leaves, represents the five elements of nature and the Dao people’s wish for harmony and balance in the coming year.

The pork, usually from pigs raised in-house, symbolizes prosperity. Some of the meat is cooked fresh - boiled, grilled, or skewered over fire - while the rest is turned into smoked sausages hung over the hearth, a supply for the upcoming festive days. Whole boiled chickens are placed with care at the center of the offering tray, an expression of filial devotion.

Unlike many other ethnic feasts, the Dao’s Tet Nam Cung meal is crafted to balance both flavors and values. Meats and vegetarian dishes are arranged in harmony, not only to please the palate but to reflect the Dao belief in a balanced and peaceful household.

Wild vegetables like fern shoots, bo khai greens, and dried bamboo shoots are prepared simply, allowing their natural aromas to shine. The emphasis on forest-sourced ingredients mirrors the community’s respect for the land and its bounty.

In modern times, while many aspects of rural life have evolved, the Tet Nam Cung feast remains an anchor of cultural identity for the Dao people. It is not only a meal but a living thread that binds generations. More than nourishment, it is memory, heritage, and hope shared across the table.