Pa Then ethnic group
Customs and habits
Pa Then houses are built either on
stilts, level with the ground, or half on stilts and half on the earth.
Marriage is strictly forbidden within the same lineage. According to customs,
after marriage the husband lives with his wife's family for a certain amount of
time. If the wife has no brothers, the husband will live with his wife's family
forever, and he has to worship the spirits of his wife's family. Half of the
children take the family name of their father, and the rest takes the family
name of their mother. The Pa Then worship their ancestors at home. They worship
the spirits of the soil and the new rice crop, pray for the rain, and worship
the souls of the dead.
Culture
The Pa Then language belongs to the
Mong-Dao Group. The Pa Then have managed to preserve a rich heritage of folk
culture through legends, folk songs, lullabies, and dances. They also have a
lot of musical instruments such as panpipes, string instruments called the
"tay nhay", and bamboo flutes.
Costumes
The Pa Then costumes look very
colorful. Men wear shirts, long indigo trousers, and cover themselves with a
long scarf. Women wear long skirts, a bra and a shirt. They like to wear their
hair wound up in a turban which is trimmed with colorful motifs.
Economy
The Pa Then lives mainly on
slash-and-burn cultivation. Rice and corn is their food staple.