Gio cake is the signature cake of the Doan Ngo festival (Photo: khaudeng.wordpress.com)

In Khanh Xuan commune, Loc Binh district, Tay families begin preparations two or three days before the festival. One of the most important tasks is making banh gio, the signature cake of the holiday.

Ms. Ma Thi Be, a local Tay woman, said: “My family celebrates the Doan Ngo Festival by preparing gio cakes. We go to the hills to gather plants, burn them, and sometimes mix the ash with a little soot from the kitchen. The water is carefully drained and used to soak the rice before wrapping the cakes.”

On the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, Tay people get up early to pick the ripest red plums in their garden. This festival coincides with the local plum harvest, so plums are an essential part of the festival. People believe plums promote good health during the summer, and eating them is thought to prevent headaches.

Ms. Ma Thi Be said: “On the 5th of lunar May, the elders always say that eating red plums will make your head strong. Our ancestors passed this belief down for generations.”

In addition to banh gio and plums, typical Doan Ngo offerings include other seasonal fruits, sticky rice, and boiled chicken or duck. The family head, traditionally a man, leads an ancestral worship ceremony, reporting on the past harvest and praying for favorable weather and a productive new crop season. This is an occasion for the families to come together, reconnect, and rest after months of hard work in the fields.

Local resident Hoang Thi Nhung said: “The worship usually begins early. My family hold the ceremony from 9 to 10 a.m. We pray for crops to be pest-free for a more abundant harvest.”

While the observance of the Doan Ngo Festival has faded in some areas, it remains an important tradition for the Tay people of Lang Son, a day of ritual and also a time to express gratitude and look forward to a prosperous future.