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| The procession marched to the beat of drums towards the ancestral temple. |
The La Chi people belong to the Kadai language group, and have long lived in the highlands of Tuyen Quang province, concentrated in Ban May and Xin Man communes of Tuyen Quang province. Their lives are closely linked to rice cultivation on terraced fields, with seasons that require patience and endurance. In their spiritual life, Khu Cu Te is an indispensable milestone - both an occasion to thank heaven and earth and ancestors, and a bond that unites the community, passing on cultural values through many generations.
Khu Cu Te, in La Chi language, means “ancestral worship house”, associated with the legend of Hoang Din Thung - the leader who opened up the mountains and forests, revered as the common ancestor of the nation. On the festival day, the villagers build a communal worship house in a solemn location, decorated with flags, drums, gongs, buffalo horns, etc. to hold the ceremony. Prestigious elders, knowledgeable about customs, are appointed to preside over the ceremony, representing everyone to report to the ancestors the results of the past year’s labor, praying for favorable weather, bountiful crops, and healthy descendants.
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| Exciting stick pushing game in the festival of La Chi people. |
Amidst the deep sound of gongs and the rapid beat of drums, each family takes turns bringing offerings to the shrine: new rice, white sticky rice, fish, meat and especially buffalo horn wine. When drinking, the person holding it must hold it tightly with both feet, absolutely not putting it on the ground, as a way to keep full respect for the ancestors. A small piece of ginger is tied to a thread, dipped into the cup of wine to "invite" the ancestors to attend the ceremony - a ritual that only the La Chi people have, expressing the belief that the ancestors' souls will follow the aroma of wine and ginger to return.
After the ceremony is the bustling festival. The sound of gongs and drums echoes through the mountains and forests, mixed with love songs and laughter. Men wear traditional costumes, raise their cups of wine, and tell the young people stories about Hoang Din Thung and the difficult harvest seasons. Women are busy preparing full trays of food, from sticky rice, meat, fish to wild vegetables, so that after the ceremony, the whole village can enjoy the fruits of their labor together. The La Chi people keep the custom of abstaining from offering food to guests, believing that the family's fortune must be kept so that the next season will continue to be prosperous and business will be smooth.
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| The sound of drums and gongs resounds in the middle of the Khu Cu Te festival. |
Interestingly, Khu Cu Te does not take place on a single day. From the first day of the seventh lunar month, the villages take turns organizing festivals in a fixed rotation so that everyone can attend each other's festivals. Ban Diu opens, then Ban Phung, Ban Pang, Ban May... lasting until August. Thanks to that, the echoes of Khu Cu Te seem to resonate forever in the golden season, creating a series of consecutive festivals that everyone looks forward to.
Mrs. Vuong Thi Mai, 68 years old, in Ban Pang, shared: “Since I was a child, I have looked forward to Tet Khu Cu Te, not only because I get to eat new rice and wear nice clothes, but also because the whole village gets together, children and the elderly, everyone laughs and talks happily. This festival teaches us to be grateful for the harvest, remember our ancestors and cherish the love of our neighbors.”
Not only an occasion for the indigenous people, the great festival of the La Chi people captivates tourists. Mr. Nguyen Van Lam, a tourist from Ho Chi Minh City, said: “I have been to many places but have never seen a festival that is both sacred and intimate like this. The atmosphere of gongs, the aroma of new sticky rice, buffalo horn wine, the sound of children playing… all make me feel like I am living in a slow and warm world .”
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| La Chi people gathered in large numbers to attend the festival. |
When the last pot of rice is empty, the gong sounds long to send the ancestors to the sacred land, the July Tet in Khu Cu Te comes to an end. But its echoes still linger in the lifestyle of the La Chi people - simple, resilient people, attached to the mountains and forests and the land of their ancestors. In the midst of modern life, Khu Cu Te is still like a smoldering fire, warming the soul and illuminating the identity of an ethnic group in the northernmost part of the Fatherland./.
Article and photos: Duc Quy
Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/van-hoa/du-lich/202508/khu-cu-te-dau-an-thieng-giua-mua-vang-cua-nguoi-la-chi-9df7c5e/
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