The girls perform the hair-washing ritual. (Photo: Vietnam National Administration of Culture)

The Hair Washing Ceremony (Lúng Ta) of the White Thai people in Quynh Nhai district, Son La province, is associated with the story of the beautiful Lady Han, who disguised herself as a man to fight the enemy. Returning victorious on the 30th day of the Lunar New Year, she and her soldiers rested and bathed by the stream to celebrate the victory and welcome the new year.

Where she bathed, the sky suddenly shone with a radiant light, and a cloud of five colors appeared to welcome her to heaven.

To show their respect and gratitude for her great contributions, the people of 16 Thai districts, including Chien District (Quynh Nhai District), have erected a shrine to Lady Han (in Muong Chien village, Muong Chien commune), worshipping her during festivals and holidays, and holding a hair-washing ritual on the afternoon of the 30th of Tet (Lunar New Year's Eve) every year to pray for her protection, bestowing health, love, happiness, peace in the village, and a bountiful harvest.

The Nàng Han shrine was located in the reservoir area of ​​the hydroelectric power plant, so after 2012, the community and the district relocated it to Pú Nghịu hill in Mường Giàng commune and built the Linh Sơn Thủy Từ temple to worship the Mountain God and the River God.

After the divination ceremony at the stilt house, the shaman and his assistant, along with the villagers, went to the water source near the Thai ethnic village to perform the hair-washing ritual. (Photo: Vietnam Ethnic Cultures Agency)

Before the ceremony, the entire village holds a meeting, with the village elder (who is also the shaman) and the village chief presiding, preparing the logistics and offerings for the ritual. A tray of offerings is prepared at the head of the clan to worship the ancestors, Lady Han, the Mountain God, the River God, and the Earth God.

Young women prepare soapberry, wooden basins, fragrant leaves (gathered from the forest), and other spices to make a pot of fragrant water for washing the hair of all family members. In addition, the women of the family, along with other members, prepare meat, wine, cakes, wild vegetables, and river fish for the offerings and food in each family and clan during the festival.

Young men in the village clean the riverbank where the hair-washing ceremony takes place, plant the ceremonial pole, and prepare the area for games, dances, and songs. Some artisans in the village prepare musical instruments (drums, gongs) for the folk performances. During rehearsals, the artisans select two young men to carry the drums and gongs and two women to play the drums and gongs during the procession of the ceremonial trays and the xòe dance throughout the festival.

Those chosen must have experienced no misfortune throughout the year, their families must not have suffered any deaths or illnesses, and the young person themselves must not have committed any wrongdoing.

The locals also practice singing and dancing to participate in community cultural performances.

On the festival day, the villagers organize a procession to the Nàng Han shrine, including the shaman, the village chief, representatives from the hamlet and commune, unmarried couples carrying offerings, a group playing drums and gongs, the elderly and young, men and women, and especially a group of men and women in traditional costumes, the villagers.

Upon arrival, the couple offered a tray of offerings to the River God and the Mountain God for the shaman to perform the ceremony. The ritual took place inside the temple, while outside, drums, gongs, and stringed instruments played joyfully. Afterwards, the procession went to the shrine of Lady Han, offered a tray of offerings to Lady Han, and the shaman and villagers performed a ceremony praying for peace for the villagers and reciting a eulogy recounting Lady Han's achievements.

After the ceremony, the villagers took water from the well next to the Nàng Han shrine and performed a ritual to pray for peace and ward off evil spirits. The procession continued with drumming, gong playing, and traditional dances performed before the incense burner at the Nàng Han shrine.

After offering prayers and making offerings to Lady Han at the temple, the procession continued with drumming and gong playing from the temple down to the riverbank. The Thai people of Quynh Nhai believe that Lady Han has now gone down to the river to wash her hair. The sound of drums and gongs also drives away evil spirits from the village, allowing the people to peacefully celebrate the New Year and hold festivals.

Upon reaching the riverbank, where the villagers had prepared a ceremonial pole on a flat piece of land, all participants in the procession formed a circle around the pole as a greeting to the River God, offering the River God and the Mountain God traditional dances. Along with the circle dance were games like throwing the ball, praying for harmony between yin and yang, a happy year, bountiful crops, thriving livestock, and a happy family reunion...

Alongside the traditional dance, the shaman will recite prayers before the ceremonial pole, expressing the villagers' wishes to the gods for the new year, as well as giving thanks for the gods' support and protection throughout the year.

To perform the hair-washing ritual, the shaman and a group of men go to the riverbank first, breaking off some green branches along the way to sprinkle sacred water from the well to ward off evil spirits and purify the bathing area. After sprinkling the water, the shaman throws the branches into the river as if to drive away evil and prevent it from returning.

Following the shaman's instructions, everyone sprinkled water and tossed green branches into the river, with the intention of pushing away evil and washing it away so that it wouldn't stain the riverbank, ensuring the ceremony's success and everyone's safety. The shaman bowed to the four directions to thank the five-directional gods, the River God, the Mountain God, the Earth God, and others. Afterwards, the men splashed river water on their heads as a symbolic gesture, then washed their hair and bathed, representing the New Year's Eve bath and the harmony of yin and yang in the river during the ceremony.

At the waterfront, the young men perform the ritual of washing their hair. (Photo: Vietnam National Administration of Culture)

The lower bank of the river is where the real festivities take place. The girls shed their traditional skirts and blouses, changing into long, flowing dresses that cover their chests. They line up along the riverbank, each with a basin of fragrant water placed before them. This water is mixed with well water from the skylight at the Lady Han temple, symbolizing the fragrant water to make them clean and presentable in preparation for the new spring, and the well water to ward off evil spirits and prevent them from following.

Young women, dressed in black bathing suits, stand before a basin of fragrant water, their backs to the river, their faces turned towards the shore, their long, flowing hair flowing freely, awaiting the shaman's blessing. The shaman will stand at the head of the line and ask the River God, the Mountain God, and the Earth God for permission for the young women, disciples of Lady Han, to wash their hair and cleanse themselves to welcome the new year.

The shaman walks along the line, sprinkling fragrant water to ward off evil spirits and purify each young woman. After sprinkling the last person, he throws a green branch into the river so the water carries away the bad luck. Previously, after reciting the incantation, the shaman would fire three shots and the hair-washing ceremony would begin. However, since guns are not allowed, they are replaced by three drum beats. Then, a middle-aged woman leads the procession, calling out for everyone to dip their hair into the fragrant water to wash it. The leader continues to call out for all the women to simultaneously lift their heads, toss their hair back, turn their faces towards the river, and move into the water until the water reaches their knees. They then stop to rinse their hair, smoothing it, lifting it up, and then letting it down again to prevent tangling.

Following the command "one, two, three," everyone simultaneously raises their heads and tosses their hair backward, repeating this 5-7 times. In this ceremony, young women with long hair who perform the water-tossing dance beautifully will receive gifts from the village elders and clan leaders—combs or other objects symbolizing spring—and will be encouraged and praised for their long hair, which is a symbol of the gentleness of Thai women in the community.

After washing their hair, the young women, dressed in traditional attire, return to their villages, families, and clan leaders to prepare a New Year's Eve meal filled with joy, laughter, reunion, and happiness.

(Photo: Vietnam National Ethnic Culture Agency)

Following the rituals of offering sacrifices to the Mountain God, the River God, Lady Han, and washing hair at the riverbank, the ancestral worship ceremony takes place at the family home of the clan leader in each lineage.

The offerings must include river fish for the River God, wild vegetables for the Mountain God, and sticky rice with chicken and fruits for Lady Han and the ancestors of each clan. After a warm glass of wine to welcome the new year, celebrating the hair-washing ceremony are songs about Lady Han's great contributions to the villagers.

At this time, the elders also pass on to the younger generation songs, dances, embroidery techniques, and the legend of Lady Han associated with the hair-washing ritual... After receiving blessings, they engage in call-and-response singing and games such as "tó má lẹ," throwing the ball, and group singing and dancing with various performances... The most unique is the traditional xòe dance, in which all the men and women, young and old, in the village participate.

The hair-washing ritual of the White Thai people in Quynh Nhai embodies the history of village formation, the living environment, the history of each period in the formation and development of the land along the left bank of the Da River, and reflects love for the homeland and community cohesion.

The rituals reflect ancient fertility beliefs, the harmony of yin and yang, and the blending of various performance elements such as dance, music, and singing to fulfill the desire for peace, prosperity, and the flourishing of all things; they also express the cultural norms of interaction between people, between people and nature, and between people and the spiritual world.

The Hair Washing ritual also embodies folk knowledge, intellectual values, scientific values, linguistic values, musical language, and expressive language of behavior in life; it also has value in tourism and economic development, attracting tourists to learn about the traditional culture of the White Thai people in this area.

Due to its outstanding value, in 2020, the Hair Washing Ceremony of the White Thai people was included in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.