Unveiling the Rich Traditions of the Doan Ngo Festival (Tet Doan Ngo)

Doan Ngo Festival, commonly called “Tet giet sau bo” (pest-killing festival) is one of the many traditional customs of Vietnamese people, celebrated on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, holds significant cultural and historical importance in both Southern China and Vietnam. It is often considered the mid-year festival or "mid-year new year," reflecting a time of transition and preparation for the changing seasons.

Cultural and Historical Significance

The Doan Ngo Festival celebrated on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, is considered by many cultural researchers to be the New Year for the people of Southern China and Vietnam. "Doan" signifies the beginning, while "Ngo" refers to the lunar calendar's noon hour and the fifth month. Consequently, according to the lunar calendar, the festival occurs at noon on the 5th day and in the middle of the year (Horse month - May 5).

This period is marked by the sun shining directly overhead, leading to scorching weather—symbolizing the peak of yang energy, also known as Doan Duong weather. This intense heat heralds the transition to a new season with more yin energy. During this time, pests become more prevalent, destroying crops and trees, and diseases affecting the eyes, skin, and digestion become more common, threatening all living beings.

Legends and Historical Anecdotes

The Doan Ngo Festival, therefore, is seen as a time to worship heaven and earth in preparation for this new period. In Chinese tradition, one legend tells of Luu Than and Nguyen Trieu from the Han Dynasty who got lost in a Thien Thai cave and encountered a fairy while picking herbs on May 5.

Another anecdote from the Chu State during the Spring and Autumn Warring States period recounts the story of Khuat Nguyen, a loyal and talented advisor to the king. Despite his wise counsel, jealous flatterers turned the king against him. Heartbroken, Khuat Nguyen wrote the poem "Ly Tao" and committed suicide in the Mich La River on May 5. The local people, mourning his loss, made cakes tied with five-colored thread to prevent shrimp and fish from eating them and released these cakes into the river. This act began the tradition of dragon boat racing to honor Khuat Nguyen.

Rituals and Practices

In Hoi An, the festival's legends are less emphasized, and its meanings are adapted to local customs and traditions. The offerings during the Doan Ngo Festival typically include sweet soups like millet sweet soup and green sweet soup, cakes (especially the “banh u” or “u” cake, “banh tro” or “tro” cake), fruits, flowers, and votive papers.

Families also try to prepare a duck, offering it first to ancestors and then sharing it among themselves. The whole family participates in rituals such as eating specific fruits believed to kill intestinal parasites, bathing in herbal water (especially for children), drinking herbal water, looking up at the sun and applying a drop of lemon juice to the eyes, piercing baby girls' ears, and hanging mugwort leaves to ward off evil spirits.

After the offerings, a symbolic bit of each item is rolled in five-colored thread and thrown into the river. In the afternoon, many families go swimming at the beach.

Source: Hoi An Cultural Heritage Management and Conservation Center.

THE COSTUM OF PICKING LEAVES ON THE 5TH DAY OF QUANG VILLAGE

During Doan Ngo Tet, at exactly noon on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month to kill insects (Doan Ngo Tet), Quang Nam people take many types of chopped forest leaves and dry them to make drinking water, called "Mother 5 leaves". They believe that this leaf can cure many diseases.

The market for 5th-day leaves at Hoi An market is very diverse with 2 types: dry and fresh. Dried leaves are sold mainly by people in the mountainous areas of Que Son, Hiep Duc, and Phuoc Son, whereas fresh leaves are sold primarily by locals from Hoi An... The price of dry type is about 40 to 100 thousand VND/kg, especially the root of multiflora (ginseng plant), which has a selling price of 200 thousand VND/kg; Fresh leaves are cheaper, sold in bundles for 5,000 VND to 40 thousand VND/bundle.

The markets are bustling with sellers and buyers, indicating a high demand for these leaves. According to a local tradition in Hoi An, the leaves picked on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month and dried precisely at noon, when the sun is at its peak, are believed to have medicinal properties. A resident explained that this specific timing captures the essence of the strongest yang energy, making the leaves particularly effective for healing.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lich (Dien Duong ward, Dien Ban town) has been picking leaves on the 5th for more than 50 years and said that since she was a child, she has followed her mother to pick leaves, and has been doing it ever since. Normally she does all the work, but on the 5th she puts everything aside and rushes to find leaves. She collects and fills the garden with some types that are easy to grow, while other types that are difficult to grow have to be found in bush areas, forests, and mountains. “This job is hard, but I work hard and become addicted. Every 5th day, I have to pick leaves to sell. It is like a folk custom passed down from father to son forever, a folk beauty that occurs every year on the 5th day of the 5th day of our Quang country," Ms. Lich shared.

In summary, the Doan Ngo Festival is a mid-year celebration focused on remembering ancestors, praying for health, and engaging in community rituals. It reflects the beliefs and traditions of the entire community, solidifying its status as a traditional holiday.

Thanks for taking the time to read this article!!!