Then Kin Pang Festival – The Soul of the White Thai People
Every year, when the late spring and early summer rains come, when the golden rice flowers are racing to bloom, when the yellow Bo ma flowers bloom all over the hillsides and along the streams, the people here eagerly participate in the Then Kin Pang festival. The legend of the White Thai people tells that: After Po Pha (the King of Heaven) there were the Thens. They are the gods with a tolerant and generous heart, who love nature and people. Therefore, the King of Heaven sent the then-gods down to the earth to reincarnate as mortals to save people. Those who are sick will be given medicine by the Thens; those who encounter misfortune or bad luck, the Thens will pray for them to overcome the disaster. The Thens are also the representatives to pray to the gods, praying for favorable weather, bountiful crops, and a prosperous and fulfilling life for the people. This is also the day when the Lu Lieng-Lu Huong are the adopted children of the Thens, who pray for their souls, cure their illnesses, and offer incense to thank the Thens.
The altar is decorated with many bright colors, with the main offering being the Bồ Ma flower. The reason for choosing Bồ Ma as the main offering is that this type of flower is considered a symbol of Then Kin Pang, without which there is a Then festival:
“Người Thái có câu:
Bó pục púng Then cả
Bó mạ púng Then sương
(Hoa bưởi nở Then sướng
Hoa Bó mạ nở Then vui)”.
In addition, on the altar there are also some objects such as paper-folded swallows, a stringed instrument and a con fruit; on the offering tray, there is a boiled chicken and a whole pig, sticky rice, wine, water... The offerings represent the abundance and fullness of trees, flowers, leaves, and grass, signaling a new year full of abundance and prosperity. In addition, Kin Pang always has a tray of offerings to thank those who founded the Muong village, as well as the heroes who repelled the Muong invaders.
People come to the festival to offer incense, wishing for a lucky and peaceful year, and for family happiness. For families with deceased members, they will also offer offerings to Then to ask the gods to let the ghosts enjoy.
On the first day of the ceremony, the Thens will abstain from eating animal meat; besides, they will choose beautiful and unmarried girls to be Sao Chau to serve the gods when they come to visit. When the ceremony begins, the villagers will elect a qualified person to wear the costumes, play the Tinh Tau lute and look majestic like a general. Then, they will offer flowers, make offerings, invite wine, and perform as if conversing with the gods. At the end of the ceremony, Thens and Sao Chaus will dance the Quat Bo Wil dance, and sweep the dead flowers, and that is the belief in eternal reincarnation.
Entering the Festival, we will participate in many games, in addition to the art competition, culinary, blindfolded duck catching, throwing con, pushing sticks, tug of war... There are also blindfolded gong playing and crossbow shooting.
This year, the festival attracted many other ethnic groups to participate, such as Thai people in Muong La, Kim Binh district, Van Nam (China); Kinh, Mong, Dao ethnic groups also came to attend the festival and exchange many special performances. Thanks to that, local people had the opportunity to enjoy new and unique performances, thereby contributing to connecting the ethnic communities.
One of the most anticipated parts is the water-splashing festival. Local people believe that the wetter the person gets, the luckier they will be. And for that reason, water-splashing is an indispensable part of the Then Kin Pang Festival.