Old dry festival (season, praying for rain) of the Black Ha Nhi in Bat Xat district has been included in the List of National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on December 19.  2014, under the category of Traditional Festival.

 In 2018, the Old and Old Dry Festival will be held from July 23 to 27 in the Ha Nhi villages in the communes of Nam Pung;  Trinh Tuong;  A Lu and Y Ty Commune, Bat Xat District.

 This is the oldest and largest seasonal festival of the Black Ha Nhi, held from Dragon Day (Dragon Day) to Than (Monkey Day) of the 6th lunar month every year.  The festival is the expression of special faith in the gods in the cult of the agricultural god of the Ha Nhi community.  The festival expresses the wish for a rich crop, developing husbandry, healthy people, and a prosperous life.  In addition, the festival is also an opportunity for children and grandchildren to find their way back to their ancestors, grandparents, parents and also an opportunity for community members to exchange and show the spirit of community solidarity.

 The beginning of the Old and Old Dry Festival is the reassuring ceremony of roofing the shed to worship, cutting buffaloes and sacrificing to the gods in the park "à la do" located at the end of the village, then sharing buffalo meat to families in the village.  Village brings home to worship ancestors, pray for ancestors to protect family and children for the whole year.

 Divide the buffalo meat like this ...

 After the buffalo slaughtering ceremony on the day the dragon "oven is full", on the day when the snake "sobs", villagers send people to the forest to cut wood to make a swing "a gob" and use the forest rope to swing "a gre".  On the day when the horse "munched", the two masters "solicited the ghost guy" together with representatives of the families in the village to prepare a ceremony to bring to the worship shed to join the agricultural sacrifice, specifying only families "  clean new attendees.  The position of the ceremony is the swing column "a gúy" and a swing of "a gư", the purpose of this ritual is to pray to the god of agriculture, the god of water, to bestow good rain and wind, bestow the people.  a rich golden season.

 Swinging "a goose"

 At the same time, this ceremony is also intended to pray for the protection of all people who come to the festival to participate in safe games.  After the worshiping ceremony at the "a gúy" and "a gư" swing poles, the villagers' worship trays are brought into the shrine area to eat together, the young people will invite wine and celebrate the age of the elderly.  This is a long-standing practice.  It both brings the element of respecting the old of the young, wishes the family longevity and wishes the old to bestow blessings.  After that, the villagers were free to play for 3 days.  This is also the only ceremony that women can attend, young men and women are free to get to know each other.

 Making thick cakes - an indispensable part of the festival

 After the old old dry festival, families in the village abstain for 3 days, not cutting the grass, cutting the grass, chopping ... anyone who violates will be fined according to the village convention.  It can be said that the old dry old festival contains profound beliefs and cultures, which are passed down from generation to generation.  Coming to the festival, visitors can visit, experience and explore the unique culture of the Black Ha Nhi, admire the unique reported houses, colorful outfits and immerse themselves in the space of  festival.
 The Black Ha Nhi Old Dry Festival contains profound beliefs and cultures, passed down from generation to generation, uniting families and members of the Black Ha Nhi ethnic community in the region.  Bat Xat high.  Currently, the Black Ha Nhi Old Dry Festival has become a unique and attractive tourist product that tourists come to visit and experience.
 Let's see the beautiful and impressive images of the Old Dry Festival and wait until July 23!

 Hoang Cong Kieu