A Za Tet Festival 2023

A Za Tet Festival is one of the traditional rituals considered the traditional Tet of the Pa Co people - a group of people of the Ta Oi ethnic minority whose traditional residence is Central Vietnam. The A Za festival has been around for hundreds of years, held to say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new year, preparing for a new, bountiful harvest. Thanks to the unanimous determination of the government and local people, this traditional A Za Festival has officially become a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

An overview of the A Za Tet Festival

At the end of the year's harvest in the upland fields when the rice grains, corn grains... have been harvested and stored in each family's reserve,

That is also the time when the villages on the Truong Son range (Thua Thien - Hue province) begin to go to festivals, resounding with flute melodies and typical dances to welcome the A Za Tet season. People in the villages will eagerly celebrate A Za Tet to thank heaven, earth, and their gods for helping them in life, crops, and their spiritual life.

A Za Tet Festival is also known by other names such as: A Za Tet, New Rice Festival, Rice Appreciation Festival. This is a traditional festival of the Pa Co people in Thua Thien - Hue. A Za Tet begins on the 6th of the 11th lunar month and lasts until the 24th of the 12th lunar month. The Pa Co people believe that this is the most beautiful moon period of the year. And each village will have to choose the most beautiful day during the above period to celebrate Tet A Za. Every 5 to 10 years, the A Za Tet Festival will be held once. If you have the opportunity to visit Hue, remember to visit A Za Tet of the Pa Co people.

A Za Tet Festival is also known by other names such as: A Za Tet, New Rice Festival

A Za Tet Festival held in A Luoi district, Thua Thien - Hue province is one of the festivals in Hue. This is a traditional Tet holiday that has existed since ancient times for the Pa Co people of the Ta Oi ethnic minority. Although the time for conducting A Za Tet in each village is different, most A Za Tet of all villages is held in the 11th lunar month. If the selected date cannot be held for any reason, the village will have to re-organize the A Za Tet celebration 18 days after the scheduled date.

Among the ritual steps of the A Za Tet ceremony of the Pa Co people, the Giang A Zel worshiping ritual is especially respected by the people. According to the concept of the Pa Co people, Giang A Zel will have 2 gods, god ALBum and god A Boi, in Heaven who are responsible for shaping the human form to create many types of plants and livestock also help the climate be favorable for lush, bountiful crops. There is also the God Tu Looi Taarr Tooq (Earthworm God) who resides in the ground. This God is responsible for creating fertile soil and nurturing lush crop varieties with high yields.

Unique things in the A Za Tet Festival

The A Za Tet Festiva is a cultural extravaganza known for its distinctive elements that set it apart from other festivals. Here are some unique features that may characterize the A Za Tet Festival:

Important rituals during the A Za Tet Festival

Coming to A Za Tet, people and especially tourists visiting Thua Thien - Hue province will witness the Pa Co people of the Ta Oi ethnic minority fully recreating the ritual steps such as: A Xa A Rah Ritual (Cleansing Ceremony); Kâl Laiq Ritual (Ceremony to expel evil spirits); Ceremony of the Father giving tq (Preparation Ceremony); Kacoong tro ceremony (Inviting Mother of Rice Ceremony); A Za worshiping ritual (Worshiping the cultivars); Worshiping ceremony for Giang Xu (rivers, streams, wind, mountains, clouds, rain, fire, earth, roads...); Ritual of worshiping Giang Ku muuiq (Worshiping for the deceased); Ritual to worship Giang Pa Nuon (God of protection when going to trade and commerce); Ritual to worship Giang A zel; Ritual to worship Giang Cot (God who gifts people); Ritual cha double yin beg (New rice eating ceremony).

Among the ritual steps of the A Za Tet ceremony of the Pa Co people, the Giang A Zel worshiping ritual is especially respected by the people. According to the concept of the Pa Co people, Giang A Zel will have 2 gods, god ALBum and god A Boi, in Heaven, who shape the human form to create many types of plants and animals, and also help the climate. favorable for good and bountiful crops. There is also the God Tu Looi Taarr Tooq (Earthworm God) who resides in the ground. This God is responsible for creating fertile soil and nurturing lush crop varieties with high yields.

Travelers will witness the Pa Co people of the Ta Oi ethnic minority fully recreating the ritual steps

Must-have offerings and worshiping rituals during the A Za Tet Ceremony

The offerings brought out to worship during Tet A Za are cakes, chickens, pigs, goats, fat mice caught in caves, meat (deer, deer, pigs... hunted in the forest), white fish caught in streams, boiled rooster, sticky rice grilled in bamboo tubes, white rice, A-quat cake, wine, white water, green bananas, sugarcane. Especially among the indispensable offerings during Tet A Za are bowls of blood pudding (can be pig, goat, duck blood pudding...), as village elder Hanh explained:

"Because the bowls of blood pudding will stimulate the Gods more, they will quickly return to the village and each family when starting the worshiping ceremony." And Zeng panels are important offerings during A Za Tet, because they symbolize the care, connection, and love between family members.

After families have finished preparing offerings, A Za Tet begins when firecrackers explode in the kitchen. Usually the woman will sit in the kitchen, heat up "firecrackers" made from bamboo sticks, and when the husband gives the signal, the wife will bang these bamboo sticks to make a sound like firecrackers exploding. With three continuous explosions in the kitchen, the Giang worshiping ceremony began.

When the firecrackers explode, the ceremony owner howls loudly to invite the Giang people to go home. The sounds of drums and gongs are heard from the beginning until the end of the ceremony. The beliefs of the Pa Co people will use A Xiéo to show Giang his respect for the gods and prayers. A Xiéo is an object made from two pieces of a piece of bamboo. If all five times of praying, the two pieces of A Xiéo are facing up, it is a very good sign, the harvest will go smoothly, prosperity and happiness.

A special ritual during the A Za Tet Ceremony

Passionate flute melodies and traditional dances

After making offerings at each house, those trays of offerings will be brought to the communal house to be held for the whole village. The village elder will be the representative of the clans in the village to conduct the Giang worshiping ceremony, similar to the worshiping ceremony in each family. And then, there will be a festival, people will eat, drink and congratulate each other, they dance and sing until the next morning. The A Za Tet holiday is a time to demonstrate the bond as strong as glue and the closeness between villages living together on the Truong Son mountain range.

Whenever there is a big festival of our people, the elderly village elders have the opportunity to play traditional musical instruments such as: flute, horn, drum, gong… The passionate flute melodies captivate people's hearts, and the singing voices are sung by Pa Co young men. The joyful dances, cheers and applause and the radiant faces of all the Pa Co people on Truong Son mountain while enjoying the festival in the warm weather of spring. Sending prayers to the Giangs wishing for a new year with a bountiful harvest, prosperous people's lives, favorable trade, good luck, safety for hunters and a good harvest.

Tet A Za is a festival that you definitely have to attend when you have the opportunity to visit Thua Thien - Hue. The sounds of trumpets, horns, and drums and gongs captivate listeners and echo throughout Truong Son peak, making guests who have participated in this festival remember it forever. Hope the above information will be useful to you. Vietnam tours to explore regional culture provided by us will make your trip more meaningful and memorable.