La Chi ethnic group
Customs and habits
The typical La Chi house is built
on stilts has three apartments and an ancestral altar in the largest apartment.
Each household has its own drums and gongs which are used in ritual ceremonies
conducted by the head of the family lineage. Children take the family name of
their fathers. As part of the wedding presents, the groom's family has to offer
the amount of money that was needed to pay for the bride's upbringing. The 7th
Lunar Month Festival is the largest and merriest activity of the La Chi
culture.
Culture
The La Chi language belongs to the
Kadai Group. Young boys and girls like to sing "nica" songs. The
traditional musical instruments of this group include drums, gongs,
three-stringed zithers (dan tinh), and lip-organs made from tree leaves.
Popular games played at festivals are con throwing, top spinning, and swinging.
Costumes
Men wear five-panelled shirts that
fall below their knees (nowadays these shirts are shorter), wide trousers, and
head turbans. The women usually wear a four-panelled dress with a belt, a bra,
and a long turban, along with a pair of trousers or a skirt.