As we often see Black Hmong women often wear pants instead of skirts like other Hmong branches. In the past, the Mong people here also wore skirts, but now they have switched to wearing pants. According to the story, the old Hmong people of Sa Pa recounted that: In the past, when they migrated from other places to here, usually women still wear skirts, but due to the conditions of living in the high mountains, the weather is cold, when they start hands on clearing land to build houses, farming and shifting cultivation, encountered the obstacle of being bitten by mosquitoes and insects a lot. Faced with that situation, the dress becomes unfavorable, while men wearing pants are less likely to be bitten by mosquitoes, wearing warmer clothes, so women also make pants before men. To distinguish it from men's pants, women only cut short pants to the knee. Thus, the short pants that Hmong women still wear today are intended to replace the old skirts to adapt to the harsh living environment.

In addition, there are other reasons associated with the history of this land. In the past, the Mong people in China used to wear skirts, but since migrating to Vietnam, the French invaded our country, stationed in Sa Pa district for a long time, they saw our women wearing them. skirts are often teased and bullied, so Black Hmong women don't wear skirts anymore, but switch to pants.

Black Butt Women's Outfits

For the Black Hmong in Sa Pa, whether male or female, after death, they are allowed to wear women's clothes and scarves. Every man who dies must wear the same dress as a woman. The dead must wear linen clothes because according to the opinion of the people, if they wear cotton or other materials, the dead will not be able to go to their ancestors. The dead man's long-sleeved shirt is different from what women wear every day. When the body is left in the house, the dead person is covered with an indigo-dyed towel. People are covered with many layers of cloth on themselves, the amount of this cloth depends on the people who come to pay their respects and give them to the dead. In the dead man's hand, twelve small bamboo sticks are tied with flax thread (if left in the coffin, do not tie anything, leave it normal). According to the explanation of the people, when the souls of the dead go to the underworld and meet the dragon, they put twelve bamboo sticks tied the flax fiber into the dragon's mouth with the hope that they can be reincarnated again, if there are no other gods. That bamboo stick, the dead person's soul will be taken away by the dragon, the dead person will not be able to reincarnate.

When a man dies, he must wear a woman's shirt, skirt, and apron. This looks very special, doesn't it? When living, the man is the breadwinner, doing the heavy work, the woman is the assistant for her husband. According to conventional wisdom, when a man dies, he will still wear his male clothes. Many people will wonder why men have to wear women's skirts when they die, is it due to nostalgia for the old matriarchal relationship or for some other reason.

This story is explained by the Mong here that it is related to the migration process, the historical process of struggle for existence of the Mong people. In the old days, during the war between the Han and the Hmong, the Han people only killed men, not women, so when Hmong men died, they had to disguise themselves as women, wear clothes and wrap towels like women, so that when they go home, they need to disguise themselves as women. new ancestors are not harmed by Han ghosts. Therefore, today, when Black Hmong men die, they still wear women's shirts and skirts.

As explained by Mr. Vang A De, in Can Ngai hamlet, Ta Phin commune, Sa Pa district, in the past, due to the war between the Black Hmong and the Han, their ancestors had to migrate here. But only women are allowed to cross the border and men are almost killed or re-captured as soldiers, they have devised a way to change men's clothes to wear skirts and scarves on their heads to pretend to be women. women so that the Han people could not find out to cross the border. Therefore, when a man dies, he must also dress like a woman to return to his ancestors.

There are many interesting and interesting things related to the life of the Mong people in Sapa. If you want to experience and discover these special things, come to Sa Pa and choose for yourself a homestay of the Mong people to live together, eat together, stay together, learn about the Hmong culture.

People participate in games during the early spring festival

Phan Phuong (photo: Ngoc Thanh)