The Pa then

The Pa then have a population of about 3,700 inhabitants concentrating in some communes of Ha Giang and Tuyen Quang provinces. Other names are Pa Hung and Tong. Pa then language belongs to the Mong-Dao Group.

The Pa then live mainly on slash-and-burn cultivation. Rice and corn are their staple food. The Pa then villages often settle near rivers or streams or in valleys and lower slopes. Each village has about 30-40,houses. Pa then houses are built either on stilts, level with the ground or half on stilts and half on beaten earth.

Pa then costumes look very colourful. Men wear a blouse, long indigo trousers and cover with a long scarf. Women wear a long skirt, a bra and a shirt and wear their hair wound in a turban which is trimmed with colourful motifs, especially in red colour. Pa then women like to wear silver ornaments.

The Pa then have many family lineages. People of the same lineage consider themselves next of kin and have common ancestors. Marriage is forbidden within the same lineage. According to custom, after marriage, the husand comes to live with his wife's family for a certain time. If the. family of the wife has no son, the husband will live there forever and has to worship the spirits of his wife's family. Half of their children take the family name of the father and the rest takes the family name of the mother.

The Pa then worship their ancestors at home. Some beliefs are related to agriculture like worshipping the genie of the soil, new rice ritual, praying for rain or worshipping the souls.

The Pa then preserve a rich heritage of folk cultural entertainments which are mainfested by legends, folk songs, lullabies, dances and musical instruments such as part panpipes, string instruments called lay nhay and bamboo flutes.