The beauty of the New Year's Day of the Ha Nhi people
Zu Do Do holiday is also known as Children's Festival of Ha Nhi people this year, it took place on the 9th day of the first lunar month, after the villagers held a ceremony for the village, to worship the forest and the water source at the beginning of the new year.Zu Do Do holiday is organized by the Ha Nhi people in each village. On New Year's Day, each family appoints a man to represent the family to participate in the communal worshiping ceremony of the village, provided that the man is married and has not had funeral in the family for 3 years.
Ha Nhi people in Nhiu Co San hamlet, Y Ty commune (Bat Xat) celebrate Zu Do Do holiday.
Right from the early morning of the day of Zu Do Do holiday, each family prepared a tray of offerings to bring to the houses of the head of village or the head of the family to participate in the worshiping ceremony. Offerings included many dishes made from agricultural products by local people, such as wine, pork, chicken, eggs, peanuts, pumpkin, chayote, sticky rice.…
In the yard in front of the houses of the head of village or the head of the family, two shamans prepared an altar to hold a common worship ceremony for the whole village. Each family, when bringing the tray of offerings, would bring a few flower branches, such as peach blossom, pear flower, brassica napus flower, etc., placed in a bamboo tube and displayed at the common altar. The two shamans took a little bit of each dish from their offerings, put it on a banana leaf, and poured wine to offer to the gods, praying to the gods and ancestors to help the children in the village stay healthy, eliminate diseases, and study well, happy families, peaceful villages. After the ceremony of the shaman, the representatives of the families also offered offerings at the common altar and prayed for good things to the children and their families. In the Zu Do Do worshiping ceremony, Ha Nhi women usually wear the most beautiful costumes and participate in the final worshiping ceremony.
The most fun part of the Zu Do Do holiday is the village festival that took place after the worshiping ceremony. Ha Nhi men each have had a tray to eat in the yard, while women and children would eat in the houses of the head of village or the head of the family, where holiday has been held. Right next to the fire, where it was warm, there was a separate meal for the oldest elderly mothers in the village. During the party, children and grandchildren had to come to this tray to "greet the tray", call their names, offer wine, thank the mothers and grandmothers for their merits and ask for forgiveness for the mistakes they have made. In this festival, guests who were not from Ha Nhi ethnic group were also invited to interact. Everyone would eat, drink, talk, share business experiences, teache children.
Ha Nhi children are given baskets of dyed eggs by their parents to go out on Tet holiday.
On Zu Do Do Children's Day, Ha Nhi children are dressed in the best costumes by their parents to go to parties and festivals. Their mother will boil green and red dyed eggs for them to bring, put in a beautiful bamboo basket to go out, when they are hungry, they can eat them. During this Tet holiday, the Ha Nhi people organize folk songs and many interesting folk games such as stick jumping, rope jumping, tug of war.…
The Zu Do Do Children's Day of Ha Nhi people has many humanistic and profound educational meanings, showing concern for children and the tradition of educating the young generation to always be grateful to grandparents, ancestors, and families. Through Children's Day, families in the community attach together more closely, unite to build a happy and prosperous life, and teach their children and grandchildren.