When the grains are ripening, each terraced fields are turning into gold, the Xa Pho people, in Lao Cai, celebrate their traditional new rice ceremony "Giày xí mà".

The new rice ceremony is usually held on the dragon date or snake date, which depends on their family. However, if before September 9th in lunar calendar, the oldest woman in the family will directly reap the harvest fields.

The tray full of new rice and foods are the performance of a hard-working year. While the first gold grains are being brought home, all family are preparing for the thanksgiving to their ancestors and foods for their worship ceremony.

When they finish worshiping, the family makes ​​two trays: The men’s tray and the women’s tray. The men’s tray is placed before the altar to invite host, shaman and visitors. The women’s tray is placed on the banana leaf inside the men’s tray. After shaman and men have finished drinking, the woman gives each person a handful of rice and the meat that are placed in banana leaves. The men sip their wine three times, then eat rice.

According to the traditional custom of the Xa Pho, the day when the family have a new rice ceremony, they absolutely do not give anything to anyone. The families in the village which haven’t celebrated the new rice ceremony are not be invited to attend.

New rice ceremony of the Xa Pho has still been maintained, this is a beautiful culture and traditional faith in particular and mountainous ethnics of the northwest in general.