In that space, the New Rice Celebration Festival of the Tay people takes place on December 27th, organized as a gratitude to heaven and earth, ancestors, and at the same time opens up hope for future crops.
Unique New Rice Celebration
Cao Son is a highland commune of Phu Tho province, formed on the basis of merging Cao Son and Tan Minh communes (Da Bac district, former Hoa Binh province). The area is still facing many difficulties, traffic is not convenient, and people's livelihoods are mainly associated with agriculture, forestry, fishery and animal husbandry.
In that economic picture, rice still plays a central role, not only feeding people but also closely associated with the spiritual life of the Tay community - the ethnic group accounting for the majority in the locality.
From early morning, amidst the characteristic cold of the highlands, the sound of gongs resonates in harmony with the rhythm of the Tinh zither, the song Then is smooth as a loving invitation. Old people, young people, women wear traditional costumes delicately embroidered, excitedly from Co Phay, Dieu Luong, Dieu Noi hamlets... returning to the social center to attend the festival, on each face is a glimmer of excitement and pride.
For the Tay people, the New Rice Ceremony is not simply a joyful festival day. It is a sacred moment to look towards ancestors and gods, to thank the favorable weather for helping with good harvests, rice full of fields, rice full of barns. The New Rice Ceremony of the Tay people in the upstream Da River region has a long-standing origin, usually held on odd days of the first lunar month or immediately after harvesting.
In the Tay people's concept, rice grains are "jade seeds of heaven", the crystallization of sweat, human effort and the protection of heaven and earth, ancestors. Therefore, new rice is absolutely not allowed to be used before the worship ceremony. Highland rice in Cao Son grows in the specific climate and soil conditions of the highlands, the grains are long, white, firm, when cooked emit a mild fragrance; eating them gradually has a sweet and cool taste at the tip of the tongue. Rice grains are not only the main agricultural product but also the soul of Tay cultural life.
The offering tray bears the strong imprint of nature and mountains and forests: rice sticky rice, hill sticky rice, grilled stream fish, wild bird meat, wild mouse, wild banana flower, banh chung, can wine, white wine... In particular, according to traditional customs, the Tay people do not use livestock and poultry meat raised by humans in the offering ceremony, expressing the concept of living in harmony, respecting nature, and considering mountains and forests as the source of survival.
In a solemn space, the shaman, on behalf of the homeowner, invites ancestors, landlords, landlords and gods to witness. The prayer fully recounts the journey of labor of a year: from irrigation, bringing water into the fields, sowing seedlings, planting rice to the harvest day, drying rice, storing rice on the attic. Only when the ritual is completed, can the family and community officially eat new rice.
Mr. Luong Van Pan, a resident of Dieu Luong hamlet, shared: "Working hard all year round, on the day of celebrating the new meal, everyone is looking forward to it. Not only to eat the first bowl of rice of the season, but more importantly, to thank ancestors, remind children and grandchildren to remember their roots, remember their labor.
Cultural preservation, sustainable tourism development
In 2025, the New Rice Celebration Day of Cao Son commune marked when it was first organized at the commune level, after arranging administrative units, replacing the form of separate worship at each family as before.
Besides traditional rituals, the festival also has many unique cultural activities such as Then singing, Dan Tinh, national costume performances, enjoying cuisine from new rice and folk games, contributing to creating a joyful atmosphere and connecting the community.
Although the roads are still bumpy and the winter weather is harsh, the festival has attracted the attention of many tourists. Ms. Nguyen Thuy Linh, a tourist from Hanoi, said: "I have heard about the new rice celebration, but this is the first time I have directly participated. The festival space is very simple and authentic, from rituals to cuisine, it is imbued with the breath of mountains and forests. What impressed me most is the way people cherish rice and consider it the soul of life.
According to Ms. Bui Thi Hoa Binh - Chairwoman of Cao Son Commune People's Committee, the organization of the New Rice Celebration Day not only shows gratitude to nature and ancestors but is also the responsibility of the locality in preserving and promoting the intangible cultural heritage of the Tay ethnic group.
Through the festival, Cao Son aims to strengthen community cohesion, arouse cultural pride in each citizen, especially the young generation. At the same time, the commune is gradually linking traditional cultural preservation with sustainable tourism development, creating new livelihoods for people in the highlands," Ms. Binh emphasized.
In the flow of integration, many traditional cultural values are facing the risk of fading. Bringing the New Rice Celebration from the family space to the community space, organized methodically and selectively, is considered a suitable direction for heritage to live with contemporary life. When culture becomes a fulcrum for development, indigenous values are not only preserved but also spread, contributing to shaping the unique identity of Cao Son land.
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