At the 1^st month ceremony, a shaman or a respected person in the family will name the baby. Customarily, an ugly name is chosen so that the genies will not envy the baby and the baby will grow up healthy. The ceremony gives thanks to the genies and ancestors for blessing the mother and child.

The family starts preparing for the ceremony as soon as the child is born. They stockpile food, make an appointment with a shaman, and arrange people to help prepare the feast. A rich family may prepare 15 to 20 trays of food, equivalent to a wedding party, to feed the relatives. Folklorist Ha Van Vien of Na Ri hamlet, Duong Quang commune, Bac Kan province, elaborates: "Depending on the family’s circumstances they will prepare many pigs, chickens, cakes, and fruit. Poor families organize smaller parties and don’t invite distant relatives."

The shaman selects an appropriate time to begin the ceremony, which has two phases: worshiping the fairy godmothers and welcoming the baby as a new family member. Hoang Thi Hien, Head of the Heritage Office of the Bac Kan provincial Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, says. "Worshiping the fairy godmothers comprises many rituals and lasts more than 5 hours. It takes place before the ancestral altar inside the house. The most important elements are inviting the godmothers, planting a flowering tree, and presenting offerings to the godmothers."

When inviting the fairy godmothers, the shaman presents the family’s offerings to the fairy godmothers to thank them for giving them the baby. The shaman will ask the fairy godmothers to approve a name for the baby. After naming the baby, welcoming the baby as a family member begins. Ms. Hien again: "The shaman will perform rituals to sell bad luck and buy good luck for the baby. The baby is placed in a hammock for the relatives to lull."

Cooc mo cakes of the Tay

The relatives or both the paternal and maternal sides give gifts to the baby. Mr. Vien again: "Paternal and maternal grandmothers and other relatives give the baby containers of sticky rice and a hen with yellow legs and yellow feather. The maternal grandmother gives her grandchild a baby carrier. Someone will carry the baby out of the house to bask in the sun for a while so he will grow up healthy."

The person chosen to carry the baby should be dutiful, successful, and wealthy. Then the grandmother puts the baby back in the hammock and the relatives lull him. The baby is now recognized as a family member. The grandmother then puts the baby on her back and goes out to sell “cooc mo” cakes to any one she meets. After helping his grandmother sell cakes, the baby is a full-fledged hamlet member. After the ceremony everyone enjoys a meal together.

The 1^st month ceremony for a newborn is an important tradition among the Tay. It symbolizes the responsibility of the family and community for raising the child. It’s also an opportunity for the paternal and maternal relatives to meet each other.