Rice on YouTube: A new rice festival in Mu Cang Chai, Thailand

A new rice festival was held in Mu Cang Chai district in the northern province of Yen Bai on September 25 as part of activities surrounding UNESCO’s recognition of Xoe Thai as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. It is a folk dance genre practiced by Thai ethnic minority in Son La Province with movements representing human activities performed at religious events and festivals. It is believed that without Xoe, flowers can’t bloom, people aren’t happy, a boy and a girl can’t become a couple, and rice and corn can’t grow.