Parchment of shaman Dao. Play over 200 years old.
The Dao ethnic group consists of several local groups: Dao Lo Giang, Dao đo (Red Dao), Dao Tien (Dao aux Sapèques), Dao Lan Tien, Dao Qua Chet (tight pants Dao), Dao ao dai (tunic Dao), Dao Dai Ban, Dao Coc Ngang, Dao Coc Mun, Dao Tam Dao… Fukian provinces of origin, Guangdong, Guangxi (China) from the 12th to the 20th century.
The Dao ethnicity in Vietnam lives in the average and high region provinces in the north. She often occupies lands at all altitude and live in good neighbors with other ethnic groups like Hmong, Tay, Thai, Muong, Viet, Hoa ... Its main resources come from agriculture, by planting rice and COM.
Normally, the DAOs wear a short jacket, on which they put on for special occasions a tunic down to the knees. The hair is raised in a bun on the nape or shaved around the edge except for a tuft at the top of the head. In general, DAO women wear a patalon and a long split tunic on the front. And men often wear cotton pants tinged with indigo, tied at the waist using a large belt like all groups. DAOs are used to wear silver or bronze jewelry.
DAOS have the own matrimonial customs. To get married, young people must not only obtain the approval of parents but also have "concordant" birth dates. The young man asks the future in-laws to settle there and work voluntarily 3 or 4 days. After a month or two, he returns to have a second stay there, in which he can speak to his fiancée and share his diaper. Then, he returns home to prepare for the Marriage if the family of the fiancée agrees.
In spiritual life, the Dao ethnic group undergoes the influence of the three religions, especially that of the Taisma which manifests itself in seasonal festivals or in prayer sessions to implore protection against events: illness, childbirth, funeral, natural calamity. The DAOs practice the cult of ancestors at home or at the house of the chief of the lineage.
For a long time, DAO in Vietnam have been known by a wide variety of folk arts and literature including old tales, humorous tales, fables, riddles, popular songs. Among the folk songs, the most popular are the pả Dung, a sort of alternating lyrical songs.