Crop praying ritual in New Year of Dao Tien ethnic people

The festival is held annually on the 16th day of the 12th lunar month, or January 7 this year, during which the head of the family hosts a ceremony to pay gratitude to ancestors and pray for a bumper harvest in the New Year.

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The host then invites shamans to conduct the worship ritual.

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Family members arrive at the house to clean up and prepare offerings for the New Year celebrations.

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The ceremony invites deities and the souls of ancestors to participate in New Year celebrations with their descendants and then bless them with good luck. After the ceremony, family members can then enjoy a meal together.

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Ethnic villagers stick small bags of cakes to a bamboo tree, sending local residents’ wishes for a new year with fertility, sufficiency, and prosperity.