Beauty of “Pay tai” festival of Tay, Nung ethnic people

For the Tay and Nung ethnic communities in Lang Son province, the 15th day of the seventh lunar month – an important festival of Vietnamese people in general – is also the festival of the maternal side, called “Pay tai”, which is one of the two most important traditional festivals in a year, aside from the Lunar New Year. With many fine values, this tradition has helped enrich the cultural identity of local Tay and Nung people.

The “Pay tai” festival often begins on the 10th day and last through the 15th day of the seventh lunar month. On this occasion, those who work or live far away will try to return to their hometown.

Do Van Truong and his wife from Binh Gia district are currently working in an industrial park of Bac Ninh province. In spite of their busy schedule, they still strived to return home for “Pay tai”. Every year, on the 12th or 13th day of the seventh lunar month, his family prepares a pair of ducks and a pair of cakes as gifts for his wife’s parents.

Truong said: “I think this festival is very important as it is an occasion to express gratitude to the parents-in-law and my parents. I always arrange my work and time to make thorough preparations for this festival.”

In Lang Son, the celebration of the full moon day of the seventh lunar month varies depending on areas and of ethnic groups. Usually, Tay and Nung people celebrate the festival on the 14th day while Kinh people celebrate on the 15th day. However, factors of the modern life like work have also affected the selection of celebration dates. Some families can organise celebrations as early as the 10th day or wait until after the 15th day to gather.

The family of Lang Thi Le in Quang Lac commune, Lang Son city, make “banh gai” to offer to ancestors during Pay tai festival.

Culture researcher Vi Hong Nhan, head of the province’s folk song conservation association, said the Tay and Nung people believe that Pay tai is the occasion for descendants to show their respect to parents and ancestors. Traditionally, daughters and their husbands will visit the maternal side to express their gratitude. Gifts they bring along vary among families but always include one or two ducks, a small bottle of wine and some pairs of “banh gai” (glutinous rice cake dyed black with a concoction of leaves) or “banh chuoi” (banana cake).

Explaining why duck is the indispensable gift in this festival, Nhan said legend has it that the duck was the earth’s emissary to the heaven. It carried the rooster on its back to cross the sea to take offerings to the heaven on the full moon day of the seventh lunar month with the aim of praying for bumper crops.

On the other hand, the Vietnamese culture is characterized by wet rice agriculture with the harvest season ending in the seventh lunar month. The same goes for animal husbandry when farmers traditionally began farming chickens and ducks in the third lunar month, and ducks reached the market-ready size and produced the best meat in the seventh lunar month. Therefore, duck has long since become a traditional food and offering of local people, he added.

Aside from duck, “banh gai”, “banh rom” (glutinous rice cake filled with mung bean and pork), “bun” (fresh rice vermicelli) and fruits are also indispensable on the food tray offered to ancestors of Tay and Nung people. Particularly, in some areas of Lang Son, they also make “banh chuoi” from ripe bananas or banana bulbs. Some families also wrap “banh gai” and “banh chuoi” in the same leaves. Cakes are joined into pairs and hung on a long pole. These pairs are called “Peng tai”, which means “hanging cakes”.

Lang Thi Le, a Nung ethnic in Quang Trung 1 hamlet of Quang Lac commune, Lang Son city, said: “On the occasion, almost every family here makes about 200 cakes. They make such a big number of cakes to give them as presents to relatives. Moreover, we make many cakes also to present them to the maternal side. In the past, despite unfavourable road conditions, my family travelled by bicycle for hours to bring offerings to the maternal side. It was exhausting but also joyous because we could reunite with parents and relatives. At present, motorcycles have helped make the travelling easier.”

Through generations, Tay and Nung people have kept the values of “Pay tai” intact. Together with the Vu Lan festival in Buddhism, “Pay tai”, imbued with the their gratitude to parents and ancestors, is among the beautiful traditions that need to be upheld.