(VOVworld) – Golden rice fields stretch out along the entrance path to Muong Phang commune, Dien Bien province. At this time of the year, the Thai ethnic group in Muong Phang are preparing a feast for the New Rice Festival.
Today Mr. Quang Van Tun’s family in Bua hamlet is cooking rice and other dishes because he has invited people in his clan to a feast to celebrate a new rice crop. Holding a cup of rice wine, Mr. Tun thanked the guests for coming: “Thank you, uncles and brothers, for coming to my family’s house for the new rice festival. Please, let’s toast our good health, everybody”.
All guests clinked cups and drank, wishing all the best to each other. Mr. Lo Van Bun, a neighbor, said the festival is important to every Thai person in Muong Phang:“Mr. Bun’s family is the first to organize the feast today. I am one of the invitees. I come here to toast with him and his family, wishing them a year of good luck with abundant rice. Both hosts and guests are happily enjoying the festival”.
The Thai people consider their ancestors’ blessing very important for ensuring a bumper crop. So, before harvesting, families offer rice to their ancestors, expressing their gratitude to them. Mr. Duong Van Lien told us: “Households take turn hosting the feast. My family did it 2 days ago. We cook a tray of food like this. Chicken is a typical food of Thai people. A cock is offered to the ancestors. There are also cassava, sweet potatoes, and fruits such as grape fruits and sugar cane. We invite our ancestors and relatives to come to our house for the feast”.
As family members are reunited during the New Rice Festival, grand parents and parents teach their offspring to follow their ethical codes. Lo Van Dung is Mr. Tun’s grandson:“Like every family in Muong Phang, we celebrate the New Rice festival when harvest time comes. This custom has been passed down from generation to generation. Our hamlet is mostly engaged in wet rice cultivation, so farming is very important”.
The Thai show their respect for their ancestors in a special way. In addition to pork, chicken and fruits, the food tray includes a bowl of new rice. Mr. Lo Van Hanh is a cousin of Mr. Tin:“We offer new rice, and also old rice and dyed rice. This must be young paddies, which are not totally ripe. We harvest and steam them. Then the paddies are dried and husked. Before cooking, the rice is washed and dried. This makes the cooked rice glutinous and fragrant”.
The exact day of New Rice festival is not fixed. It depends on the families and clans. Lo Van Bien, secretary of Muong Phang, told VOV: “The Thai people worship their ancestors once every 10 days. A big family might worship once every 5 days. Normally, the New Rice Festival is held once a year and lasts 3 days”.