Tet "Xip Xi" is an occasion for the White Thai people in Phu Yen to express their love for their homeland and preserve their national cultural identity.

Tet "Xip Xi" is one of the traditional Tet holidays of the White Thai ethnic group in Phu Yen commune, Son La province, passed down from generation to generation to preserve and promote the traditional cultural beauty of their people.

According to the customs of the White Thai people in Phu Yen, the “Xip Xi” festival is celebrated only on the 14th day of the 7th lunar month, which is the day when children pay their respects to their ancestors and is an occasion for adults to pay special attention and care to the younger generation. Therefore, the White Thai people here also call “Xip Xi” the Children’s Festival.

With its own unique and humanistic values ​​imbued with ethnic identity, on August 9, 2024, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism included the "Tet Xip Xi" ritual of the White Thai people in Quynh Nhai and Phu Yen communes, Son La province" in the List of National Intangible Cultural Heritage. This is not only the pride of the White Thai community, but also the pride of the people of all ethnic groups in the whole Son La province.

Tet “Xip Xi” also has the meaning of summarizing and celebrating the results of hard work in the first six months of the year. On this occasion, children do not have to herd buffaloes or do housework but can play and relax, eating what they like.

On this day, every family has a tray of offerings to pray for luck for each individual, family, and clan in the village. Pray for luck from heaven and earth, pray for favorable weather, bless the villagers with good health to work. Pray for gods and ancestors to bless children to be healthy, eat well, grow quickly, and not get sick.

The "Xip Xi" New Year of the White Thai people in Phu Yen is prepared very carefully by families.

The White Thai people in Phu Yen prepare very carefully for the “Xip Xi” New Year. 1-2 days before the New Year, Thai women go into the forest to get banana leaves, dong leaves, and choose large green leaves to wrap banh it, prepare sticky, fragrant sticky rice, and leaves to dye red and black rice. Men go to streams and ponds to catch fish to grill, and go into the forest to burn bees to get pupae to make the Xi Xi New Year meal neat and complete.

From early morning on the 14th day of the 7th lunar month, people from the upper and lower villages have slaughtered chickens, ducks, and chickens, preparing dishes for the “Xip Xi” New Year, creating a bustling and joyful atmosphere. From typical dishes such as red sticky rice, purple sticky rice, cakes, duck meat, chicken to wild bees, sweet grilled fish... all are agricultural products made by the people themselves from the land they live on.

The White Thai people here also call "Xip Xi" the Children's New Year.

Tet Xip Xi has two parts, the ceremony and the festival. The ceremony is to worship ancestors, remember the merits of those who opened up the land and established the village, and the festival is to have fun, culture, art, and cuisine. In the ceremony, there are many offerings such as wine, meat, colored sticky rice, candy, fruit, brocade, but there are two indispensable things: boiled duck meat and banh it uay, a type of cake made from sticky rice, wrapped in wild banana leaves.

After finishing the ancestral altar, there will be a tray of offerings to the buffalo spirit. Pray for the buffalo to love eating grass, grow quickly, and be healthy to help people plow, harrow, and produce crops without worrying about diseases, and to go up the hill to eat grass without being attacked by tigers or bitten by snakes. In addition to the meaning of praying for a good harvest, Tet "Xip Xi" is also an occasion for adults to care for and look after children. On this day, children are given colorful clothes by their grandparents and parents to wear to go out and play during Tet.

Tet "Xip Xi" is an occasion to unite the community among ethnic groups living together on the land of Phu Yen.

For the White Thai people of Phu Yen, “Xip Xi” is also an occasion for them to show their hospitality. Familiar guests are invited a few days in advance, strangers as well as familiar guests are warmly and thoughtfully welcomed, and enjoy special dishes only available on “Xip Xi” day.

Up to now, in Phu Yen commune, not only the White Thai ethnic group celebrates the "Xip Xi" New Year but other ethnic groups living together also celebrate the New Year. This further proves that the good meaning of the "Xip Xi" New Year has spread throughout the community and the solidarity among ethnic groups living together on Phu Yen land is increasingly close and harmonious.

Tet "Xip Xi" is also an occasion for the White Thai people in Phu Yen to show their hospitality.

This year, "Tet Xip Xi" was held by Phu Yen commune, Son La province on September 1, at the Chu Temple historical and cultural relic, on the occasion of the whole country celebrating the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day September 2. The activities at the festival aim to honor the national intangible cultural heritage "Tet Xip Xi Ritual" of the White Thai people in Phu Yen to a large number of tourists from near and far.