Fire dancing festival of Pa Then people

Fire Dance (Fire Ball) is a traditional festival of the Pa Then people in My Bac village, Tan Bac commune, Quang Binh district, Ha Giang province, usually held on October 16 (Lunar calendar) every year when the crops have been harvested.

Let's join author Nguyen Manh Cuong to learn about this unique festival, imbued with Shamanism, primitive and mysterious through the photo series "Fire jumping ceremony of the Pa Then people - Tuyen Quang ". This photo series was also submitted by the author to the Photo and Video Contest "Happy Vietnam - Happy Vietnam" , organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications .

The Fire Dancing Festival is a long-standing tradition of the Pa Then ethnic group. The festival begins with a Pa Then shaman praying to the gods. The ceremony lasts 1-3 hours.

The people were possessed for a moment, they trembled and started jumping up with both legs at the same time, they jumped into the fire without feeling any burning sensation or fear.

Image of young people participating in fire dancing sitting in a trance

Each person usually jumps over the fire for 2-3 minutes, then wakes up and continues the trance ceremony.

A person can participate in the fire dance many times, thereby demonstrating their strength, dexterity and agility. Children who are possessed can also participate in the fire dance.

Fire dancing is only for men and these guys always receive admiration and respect from everyone.

Fire dancing is a typical festival of the Pa Then people, usually held on the 16th day of the first lunar month every year to thank the gods for a year of good crops, a prosperous life, and healthy villagers without illness.

The fire dancing festival of the Pa Then people in Hong Quang commune, Lam Binh district has been included in the list of national intangible cultural heritage./.

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