The People Committee in Na Hau commune of Yen Bai province’s Van Yen district opened February 18 -19 (the 28th day and the 29 day of the first lunar month) the forest worshipping festival (Tết rừng) 2023.
A shaman initiates worshipping ritual
The ritual of the forest worshipping festival of Mong people in Na Hau was started with a procession of offerings, including a rooster and hen, a black pig, wine, some rough paper and incense. After that, the village’s shaman performs worship rituals to pray for favorable weather and abundant crops.
After the forest worshipping festival, local residents of Na Hau were not allowed to go into the forest for any reason in three days for showing thanks giving to the forest god; even picking a leaf is forbidden.
The festival also featured traditional cultural activities including art performance and Hmong village fair with 15 booths.
The forest festival is a unique ritual not only for preserving cultural values in ethnic communities, but also making practical contributions to the management on forest resources and biodiversity in Na Hau Nature Reserve in particular and Van Yen district in general.
PH
