Tay Ethnic Minority

History: The Tay are the earliest known minority in Vietnam, who are thought to have arrived from inland South East Asia about 500 BC. They settled in valleys in the north west part of Sapa. Language: Tay language belongs to the Tay - Thai language group. Their alphabet is based on the Latin alphabet devised in 1960, similar to the Viet alphabet. Costume: The traditional dress is made from indigo dyed cotton. It is usually plain, with little embroidery or other decoration.  The women wear a simple shirt with silver buttons down the front teamed with black trousers.  Both sexes wear colorful head scarves. Nowadays the Tay are often seen wearing Viet and western clothes. Social organisation: The Tay social system used to resemble a feudal society.  One man in each village owned the land, forest and rivers.  He ruled over the people living on that land. This regime appeared very early and ended in 19th century. Tay now live in villages of mixed ethnic groups, enter into mixed marriages and leave their traditional settlements to work in other areas.  They have adopted other elements of Kinh culture and of the Tai speaking people, are considered the most integrated into main stream Vietnamese culture. Birth: While pregnant and even after giving birth, the mother and father have to avoid many different things in order for both mother and child to be healthy, for the child to grow up quickly and strongly and to avoid evil spirits. When the new born is three days old, there is a ritual in honor of the midwife.  One month after the birth, there is a celebration and party to name the baby. Marriage: Young Tay men and women are free to love, but the decision to become husband and wife rests with their parents. The boy s parents need to know the potential bride s fortune so they can compare it to their son s.  To do this, they consult an astrologer who judges how well matched they are.  If the signs look favorable, the marriage can take place. After the wedding, the wife stays with her parents until she is pregnant. She will only go to live at her husband’s house in the late stages of pregnancy. Funeral: The funeral rituals are quite similar to Vietnamese. The funeral brings deceased s spirit to the world of the after life. Three years later, there is a ritual to bring the spirit to the ancestors and to end the mourning period. There is an annual day in honor of the deceased. Beliefs: The Tay worship ancestors, the house spirit, kitchen spirit and the midwife. Housing: The Tay live in houses built on stilts originally designed to protect them from wild animals.   Nowadays, they use the first floor for storage and cooking. When building a new house, the owner has to choose the right place very carefully.  Many factors are considered, including his age and horoscope. On the day that he and his family move to the new house, the head of the family must start a fire and keep it burning all night. Food: The Tay used to eat sticky rice most of the time, but now eat regular rice. For festival occasions, they make many kinds of cakes such as square rice cake (banh chung - symbol of the earth), round rice cake (banh day  - symbol of the sky) for the New Year Festival and pounded young sticky rice that is roasted (com) for the Mid Autumn Festival. Production activities: The Tay use traditional wet rice cultivation.  The rice is grown on the hills with very little water, which is well utilised using irrigation methods like digging canals and laying water pipes.  They produce high quantities of food by practicing such intensive cultivation methods.

Source: traveltosapa.com

Xa pho Ethnic Minority

History: The Giay immigrated from China 200 years ago. They are strongly influenced by Chinese culture. Language: The Giay people speak a language of Tay - Thai group. They do not have their own writing. Costume: Like the Tay minority, the Giay women dress in simple clothes. They wear a five panel blouse split at the sides and buttoned on the right with dark indigo trousers. The blouses are different colors depending on the age - old women usually wear the darker shades. Women wrap their hair around their head and fix it in place with red threads. Giay, like other minorities, have adopted elements of Viet and Western clothing. Social organisation: Before the Revolution of August, 1945, the Giay society was divided into different classes. The upper class was composed of administration officials who owned the land. They paid soldiers and housekeepers to take care of weddings and funerals. Farmers working on their land had to pay taxes as well as doing the hard labour. Birth: Pregnant women have to avoid many things - wood is not burned from the top to the bottom to avoid difficulties when giving birth, and they are not allowed to attend funerals or visit a place for worshiping for fear of losing their spirit. When it is time to give birth the pregnant woman makes offerings to the Mother spirit. When the baby is one month old, they make offerings to the ancestors. At the same time they give the child a name and establish his or her horoscope, which will be used later when it is time to choose a partner for the marriage, and the right time to be put in a coffin when he or she dies. Marriage: The procedure for marriage is based strongly on Chinese traditions. A go-between is very important as they help propose the marriage to a potential bride.  Once this has happened, the groom s family gives the bride a necklace and a bracelet to show their intentions - a kind of engagement.  For the wedding, the groom s family must offer the bride s family food and money, and give close relatives a chicken, a duck and a silver coin.  Once married, the bride is carried to her new house on the groom s back, as if she walks her spirit will find its way back to her parents. Funeral: Giay people believe that if a funeral is well organized, the dead will go happily to heaven with their ancestors. If not, the dead will be forced to live in hell or become animals.  In a rich family, the funeral can last from five to seven days with extra rituals such as running along the river to lead the spirit on a procession. The children must mourn their parent s death for one year. Beliefs: The Giay altar is located in the middle of the house. There are three incense bowls set from the left to the right to worship the Kitchen God, Heaven and Earth, and the family ancestor. If the master of the house is a son-in-law who wants to worship his real parents, he must set up a fourth incense bowl to the far left. If a family has no altar for the Mother spirit, they set a fifth incense bowl to the right. Some families set up a small alter beside the big one to worship their parents-in-law.
Source: www.traveltosapa.com

Main Celebrations and Festivals

The dates of the traditional cultural festivals are based on the lunar calendar, which varies from one year to the next, hence these approximate dates. Make enquiries

Upcoming events - Main celebrations and festivals The dates of the traditional cultural festivals are based on the lunar calendar, which varies from one year to the next, hence these approximate dates. Make enquiries Red Dao dance festival, Sa Pa For the Tet festival (1st and 2nd day of the first lunar month, end of January, beginning of February) Gau Tao – Hmong Festival In all the villages (2nd and 5th day of the first lunar month, end of January, beginning of February) Thuong temple festival, Lao Cai 14th et 15th days of the first lunar month (February) Tay festival, Van Ban On the day of the Dragon, during the first lunar month (end of January, beginning of February) Ta Van Giay Dragon festival, Ta Phoi (Cam Duong) On the day of the Dragon, during the first lunar month (end of January, beginning of February) Tay festival in Gia (Bao Yen) 6th day of the first lunar month (end of January, beginning of February) Tay festival in Ta Chai – Bac Hà 15th day of the first lunar month (February) Muong Khuong Nung sacrifice to the forest 30th day of the first lunar month (end of February, beginning of March) Khô già già, Bat Xat black Hani festival Days of the dragon, the snake, the goat and the horse during the 6th lunar month (July, beginning of August) Black Hani Gat Tu Tu in Y Ty Days of the dragon, the snake, the goat and the horse during the 6th lunar month (July, beginning of August) Pa Di festival in Muong Khuong 23rd day of the du 6th lunar month (end of July – mid-August) Nung Festival in Muong Khuong and Bac Hà 1st day of the 7th lunar month (end of July – August) Bao Yen Tay Com (Food Festival) 15th day of the 8th lunar month (September) Van Ban Xa Pho new rice and banana-tree flowers festival 9th day of the 9th lunar month (October)

Source: : www.traveltosapa.com

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