Opening Ceremony of the New Rice Festival in Ngoc Chien Commune, Muong La District, 2024.

The 2024 New Rice Festival in Ngoc Chien commune consists of both ceremonial and festive parts. The ceremonial part includes the offering of new rice at Don Ho Church in Muong Chien village and Sa Mu Tree God Church in Na Tau village. The shaman performs rituals expressing gratitude to ancestors and the heavens, praying for favorable weather, a bountiful harvest, and a prosperous life. After the ceremony at the ancestral church, households prepare their own new rice offerings at home. Depending on their circumstances, families invite guests to join in the festivities. At the end of the ceremony, the host invites guests to share in the joy over a jar of rice wine, wishing each other good fortune.

New rice offering ceremony at Don Ho Church, Muong Chien village

Leaders of Ngoc Chien commune light incense and offer new rice at Don Ho Church, Muong Chien village.

The festival attracted a large number of visitors with its cultural performance themed "Ngoc Chien's New Rice Harvest," featuring 45 songs, dances, and musical performances by artisans and performing arts groups from 15 villages of Ngoc Chien commune. The performances praised the Party, President Ho Chi Minh, the renewed Son La homeland, romantic love, the beautiful natural scenery of Muong La, and the fragrant rice fields of Ngoc Chien…

Delegates attending the festival.

A cultural performance at the festival.

This is the 7th year that the New Rice Festival of Ngoc Chien commune has been held during the rice harvest season in late August and early September. The festival aims to restore, preserve, and promote the fine traditional cultural values ​​of the ethnic communities; encourage the people to build a cultured life and expand the area specializing in glutinous rice cultivation. At the same time, it strengthens the promotion and introduction of the potential and cultural identity of the ethnic groups in Muong La district in general and the unique culture of the people of Ngoc Chien commune in particular, attracting tourists from inside and outside the province to experience, enjoy, and seek investment opportunities, exchange, cooperate, develop, and integrate more deeply.

A large number of local people attended the festival.

The 2024 New Rice Festival in Ngoc Chien commune was held over two days (August 29th and 30th) at the Muong Chien stadium in Ngoc Chien commune, Muong La district.

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