Gau tao is a traditional new year’s festival of the Mong in the cloudy mountain commune of San Sa Ho, Sapa, Lao Cai province. The festival, held in the first lunar month, is a big ceremony in Hoang Lien Son mountain region to pray for peace and prosperity.
The festival originated from an old custom of the Mong in Sapa. When a couple couldn’t have a child after years of marriage, the husband climbed up a hill, making offerings to the god of the mountain and begging for his support to have a child. After the couple gave birth to a child, they invited relatives and villagers to a big ceremony to thank the god for his support. This ceremony was held again by the family every three or five years. The ceremony gradually became a community festival held annually to pray for peace, prosperity, and good luck for the whole village.
The festival includes many outdoor activities, including crossbow shooting, top playing, stick dancing, wrestling and gau plenh (love song) singing. At night, young people join responsive singing to show love for their girlfriends or boyfriends.
By the Golden Moment Photography Club