Special fire dancing festival of Pa Then ethnic group

(TITC) – Every year on the 16th day of the 10th lunar month, the Pa Then people (Quang Binh district, Ha Giang province) hold a fire dancing festival that attracts tourists from everywhere.

According to the traditional culture of the Pa Then people, the fire dancing festival is held after the harvest to thank heaven and earth, the gods for a good crop and also to pray for a good crop next year. The fire will also bring warmth and luck to dispel the harshness of the coming winter.

The festival officially began at around 8pm. At the beginning, the shaman placed offerings on the altar, lit candles and incense, and recited prayers asking for permission to hold the festival in the Pa Then language. After that, the young men lit a fire on the pile of wood, then the shaman held a bowl of scented water and sprinkled it on the four corners of the fire and on the young men. Next, the shaman returned to the altar, continuously beating the Pan do and shaking the Pa san tau, while reciting prayers to invite the gods to enter the Pa Then young men.

There were about 8-10 strong young men in the village sitting by the fire. After a few minutes of the shaman inviting the gods, the young men’s bodies began to shake, their eyes looked strange, their heads shook back and forth… The Pa Then people believed that this was the moment when the gods from heaven descended and entered the young men.

Then one by one, they jumped into the middle of the red-hot fire with their bare feet. They used their bare hands and feet to break the red-hot coals until the fire died out. While dancing on the fire, their eyes were closed, as if some supernatural force was guiding them so that they could not feel the heat of the fire at all, their skin was not burned, and their bodies were not in pain.

The fire dancing ceremony lasts for about an hour. When the fire dies down, it is rekindled, and then the dancing continues until the pile of coals is completely extinguished. The special thing is that after the boys dance on the fire, their hands, feet, and faces are covered with black coals, completely without any signs of burns or scratches.

When the festival ended, the shaman read a prayer to thank the gods for coming down to join the villagers, praying for the gods to bless the villagers with prosperity, health, and promised to invite the gods to come down and participate again at the next fire dance.

The fire dancing festival of Pa Then people has a very unique cultural identity, with sacred and mysterious meanings, demonstrating the power and belief of humans in controlling nature.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has included the Pa Then people’s fire dancing festival in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List since 2012 to preserve and promote a unique festival that is imbued with cultural identity and attracts a large community to participate.

Tourism Information Technology Center