Distinctive Culture of the Tay People: Strengthening Community in Cao Son Commune

At the end of the year, when the northeast monsoon brings the chilly cold of the highlands, the villages of Co Phay, Dieu Luong, and Dieu Noi in Cao Son Commune, Phu Tho Province, seem to pause in the moment of transition between heaven and earth. This is also when the Tay people here prepare to close out a year of hard work and open the door to new hopes for the coming harvests. Amid the vast space of the mountains, the sound of the gong resonates, blending with the gentle melodies of the đàn (traditional instrument) and songs, inviting both locals and visitors from the highland villages of the old Da Bac area to come and participate in the “New Rice Festival”—a meaningful traditional cultural activity of the Tay people in Cao Son Commune.

The shaman performs the ritual for the New Rice Festival.

This year’s festival holds special significance as it is the first time it is organized at the commune level after the administrative unit restructuring. From early morning, the elderly, youth, and women, dressed in intricately embroidered ethnic costumes, eagerly gathered for the festival. On their faces shone excitement and pride. For the Tay people, this is not only a joyful occasion for meeting and socializing, but also a sacred moment to pay tribute to ancestors and the forces of nature, thanking the gods for favorable weather, good harvests, and prosperity.

The Tay people’s offering table is simple yet meaningful, filled with deep symbolism.

In the colorful tapestry of the cultures of the ethnic groups in Cao Son, Tay culture stands out with its ancient wet-rice civilization. The New Rice Festival is a vibrant manifestation of this agricultural belief. For generations, the Tay people of Da Bac (old Hoa Binh) have regarded the rice grain as the “jewel of the sky,” the result of hard work, effort, and the protection of the gods and ancestors.

The end-of-year New Rice Festival is an opportunity for the people to meet and share.

According to traditional customs, the New Rice offering ceremony is usually held on an odd day in the first month of the lunar calendar or after the harvest season. The offering table reflects the deep natural cultural influences: rice from the fields and hills, grilled river fish, wild bird meat, wild rat, forest banana flowers, sticky rice cakes, wine, and white rice wine. Notably, the Tay people do not use meat from domesticated livestock or poultry, reflecting their philosophy of living harmoniously and respectfully with nature and the mountains.

In the ritual, the shaman, on behalf of the host family, invites ancestors, tutelary spirits, and local deities, recounting the entire agricultural journey of the year—from irrigation, guiding water into the fields, sowing rice seedlings, planting, to the harvest, drying the rice, and storing it in the attic. Only when the ceremony is completed can the family officially consume the new rice.

Locals trade local specialties.

In the past, the New Rice Festival was only celebrated within individual families. However, in 2025, the organization of the New Rice Festival at the commune level opened up a larger cultural space for the community, rich in identity. In addition to the formal rituals, there were various cultural and artistic activities, such as folk dances, rice pounding, traditional games, and cooking contests using new rice. Stalls showcased local specialties such as forest honey, glutinous rice, medicinal plants, and native chickens and pigs.

Tug-of-war at the New Rice Festival.

Bamboo dance performance.

Ethnic musical instrument performances.

Cao Son Commune, located in the highlands of Phu Tho Province, was formed by merging the former Cao Son and Tan Minh communes (from the old Da Bac district of Hoa Binh Province). The commune now covers over 124 square kilometers and has a population of nearly 9,000 people across 17 villages, with 5 ethnic groups living together, of which the Tay people form the majority. In recent years, with increased government investment, infrastructure such as transportation, electricity, schools, and health stations has gradually improved. The application of science and technology, along with the promotion of digital transformation, has enhanced both the material and spiritual lives of the people.

Excitedly demonstrating the rice pounding ritual.

The people participate in the festival.

According to Bui Thi Hoa Binh, Chairwoman of the Cao Son Commune People’s Committee, organizing the New Rice Festival not only expresses gratitude to nature and ancestors but also fulfills the responsibility of preserving and promoting the intangible cultural heritage of the Tay people. Through the festival, the locality aims to strengthen community ties and gradually integrate cultural preservation with sustainable tourism development.

People participate in the Còn throwing competition.

Cooking new rice.

Local dishes during the festival.

The New Rice Festival of the Tay people in Cao Son Commune is not only a time to reflect on a bountiful harvest but also a vivid testament to the efforts to preserve cultural identity in the modern world. In the vast Cao Son mountains, the New Rice Festival is like a warm flame, igniting hope, aspirations, and solidarity within the community of ethnic groups—a deep, enduring, and captivating spiritual value.

Le Chung