Yen Binh (Yen Bai province) preserves the Harvest Festival of the Yen Thanh Dao Quan Trang Community

Recently, in Yen Thanh Commune, Yen Binh District, Yen Bai province, a preservation event was held for the Harvest Festival (also known as the Twelve Zodiac Animals Festival) celebrated by the Dao Quan Trang community.

Ceremony of worshi ing the 12 zodiac animals at the Harvest Festival

According to Dao Quan Trang’s beliefs, each month of the year is governed by a deity responsible for one of the twelve zodiac animals. To ensure peace, harmony, and abundant harvests, villagers hold an annual ceremony to worship these twelve deities associated with the twelve zodiac animals.

During the ceremony, the shaman calls upon each zodiac animal, which appears in turn before the altar and performs symbolic actions representing its characteristics. The shaman then prays to the twelve animals and places them in the temple to watch over the harvests according to the seasons.

In the sacred atmosphere of the ceremony, the shaman represents the villagers, offering prayers to the ancestors and deities with the hope of a bountiful season and a happy life for the entire villagers.

After completing the main ritual, ceremonial dances are performed in front of the altar, expressing the villagers’ joy and excitement at successfully holding the Harvest Festival and receiving blessings from the deities.

It is known that the Harvest Festival is traditionally organized by Dao Quan Trang villages annually at the beginning of the year on the 2nd day of the 2nd lunar month (2/2), mid-year on the 6th day of the 6th lunar month (6/6), and at the end of the year on the 2nd day of the 12th lunar month (2/12), to pray for blessings from the deities.

During the 1960s to 1980s, due to various external factors, the festival could not be fully observed, and families only held small-scale ceremonies at home, reducing the number of observances.

Therefore, Yen Binh District, along with relevant agencies, has organized the preservation of the Harvest Festival to promote the valuable cultural and religious traditions of the Dao community in general and the Dao Quan Trang people of Yen Thanh Commune, Yen Binh District, in particular.

As part of the festival, residents and visitors can enjoy traditional Dao Quan Trang cultural performances and participate in unique folk games, such as shuttlecock throwing, crossbow competitions, stick pushing, tug-of-war, sticky rice cake-making contests, culinary competitions, and crab trap-weaving contests.

The ceremonial prayer for the twelve zodiac animals at the Harvest Festival brings joy and strengthens community bonds

Source: Yen Bai Newspaper – en.baoyenbai.com.vn