The Forms of Festival for Tending Ancestral Graves of the Yao Quan Chet in Quan Chu Commune, Dai Tu District, Thai Nguyen Province

Abstract

The festival for tending ancestral graves is an uniqueness of traditional culture of most ethnicities in Vietnam in the occasion of Qingming festival which expresses the piety of posterity towards their ancestors. However, besides the Qingming festival, the Yao Quan Chet in Quan Chu commune also perform the festival for tending ancestoral graves in a symbol manner (Chay chau). Although both above festivals aim to clean and decorate the ancestral graves of clan ancestors, Chay chau festival belongs to regulation of separation of ancestors (lo piéu), meaning setting up the peculiar altars for clan or lineage ancestors and its performance of rites have had differences. The writing made contribution to making clearly some distinctive ethnic features of custom of festival of tending ancestorial graves of the Yao Quan Chet in Quan Chu commune.