Xen Ban, Xen Muong, one of the biggest festivals of the Thai ethnic group in Son La Province is held annually in the second lunar month to pray for peace and commemorate founders of ‘Muong’, the land of the Thai people.

‘Xen’ in Thai means worship or festive and ‘ban’ means village. The Xen Ban, Xen Muong festival expresses the close relations between the people and the gods as well as the locals’ aspirations for peace, bumper crops and healthy animals.

The traditional cultural practice was introduced to Hanoi residents at the recent ‘Colours of spring from every corner of the country’ in the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism, Son Tay District, Hanoi.

 

Preparing offerings for the sacrifice ceremony

 

 

 

An altar is set up under the foot of a holy tree of the village. Four offering trays are laid before the altar

 

 

 

 

 

The shaman throwing a handful of rice prior to the worshipping ceremony

 

 

 

 

 

The shaman reads the words of worship in Thai

 

 

 

 

 

He then takes cups of wine from the offering trays and splashes them around in order to get rid of bad luck

 

 

 

 

Concluding the ritual, he beats a drum to call all people in the village to join folk games and cultural activities

 

 

 

 

A Thai woman playing ‘to ma le’ (throwing seeds of the ‘ma le’ fruit), which is open to married women only. The player puts the seed on the instep of her foot, takes a few steps and then throws it into other seeds on the ground.

 

 

 

 

Or she can put the seed on her thigh and use her forefinger to flick it to the ground.

 

 

 

 

 

Playing ‘con’ - a throwing game where a small ball made of colourful pieces of cloth is thrown

 

 

 

 

 

Dressed in traditional outfits with black skirts, a ‘com’ blouse and a colourful ‘pieu’ scarf, Thai ladies’ faces radiate with bright smiles eager to welcome a new year full of joy and peace

 

 

 

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Having fun at a bamboo pole dance.


 

Nhan Dan