Proper name: Hmong, Na Mieo
Other names: Meo, Mieu Ha, Man Trang
Local groups: White Hmong, Chinese Hmong, Red Hmong, Black Hmong, Green Hmong, Na Mieo.
Population: 558,053 people
Language: The Hmong speak a language that belongs to the Hmong – Dao language family.

Production activities: Farming is completed on terraced or swidden fields where corns, rice, and wheat are grown. The farmers inter-plant different crops along with the most product, together with such crops as lotus, potato, vegetable, peanut, sesame, beans, etc. The plough of the Hmong is legendary for its good quality as well as its efficiency. Growing flax, poppy (in the past), and fruit trees like apple, pear, peach, plum, along with weaving flax are distinctive activities of the Hmong. The Hmong raise water buffaloes, cows, pigs, chickens, and horses. The horse is the only supply of transportation in these mountainous areas, and that they are beloved animals of every Hmong family. The Hmong handicraft business is well-developed with works like embroidery blacksmithing, and therefore the creating of horse saddles, wood furniture, rice paper and silver jewellery. All of the higher than things are created per want. Though the Hmong follow their crafts part-time, their product, like ploughs, barrels, and wood furniture are quite famous. Markets of the Hmong satisfy not solely the trading need however conjointly fulfill their different social pursuits yet.

Diet: The Hmong typically eat two meals per day, however throughout harvesting time, they increase to three meals per day. There are ancient dishes in a daily meal, like steam corn flour or rice, fried vegetables and soups. The Hmong use wood spoons to eat the corn flour, and rice on holidays and festivals. The Hmong prefer to drink wine made of corn and wine. They smoke tobacco in long pipes. Providing guests pipe that the tobacco is stuffed by the host is an affectionate gesture of hospitality. In the past, smoking opium was fairly popular.

Clothing: Hmong clothing is rich in color and kinds. White Hmong girls grow flax, and weave it into textiles. They dress in white skirts, and buttoned shirts ornamented with embroidery patterns on the sleeves and back. They shave a number of their hair, and wrap an extended scarf around their head. Chinese Hmong girls wear indigo skirts with a flower patterns embroidery style. They wear quilted tops that split higher than the underneath arm. Hmong girls wear their hair long, and wrapped in a bunch affixed with a twig. Black Hmong wear skirts made of indigo, ornamented with batik flower-patterns, and buttoned shirts. Green Hmong girls wear long wrapped skirts. People who are married organize their hair in a chignon or bun on the highest of their head, and fixed with a trifle bone or animal hoof comb. On high of that, they wear a shawl that's tied in the form of 2 horns. The most decorations on their dresses are created by quilting and embroidery

Housing: The Hmong live gathered in villages, every one composed of many dozen households. Their homes are one story, with three rooms, 2 wings, and a couple of or three doors. The family altar is found within the middle space. The houses of well-to-do families is also adorned with wallpaper, have wood columns placed on pumpkin-shaped stone, tiled roof, and wood floors. The altar is placed in the middle space. Additional typical, though, are houses created with bamboo walls and straw roofs. Food-staffs are stored on high shttp://www.vietnamguider.com/a/index.php?mod=culture&act=edit&culture_id=245helves. In some places, there are food storage areas right next to residential houses. Cattle barns are paved with planks, and are high and clean. In high mountainous areas, there's usually an enormous area between 2 houses, and there are 2-meter-tall stone walls to separate them.

Transportation: The Hmong use horses for transportation. They use to carry baskets that have 2 handles

Social organization: There are several skin lines in a village, and a number of other outstanding lines that tend to play a additional decisive role within the village’s social structure. The pinnacle of the village takes care of all the disputes, either by fine or by social pressure. Inhabitants of every village voluntarily follow its rule in agricultural production, cattle raising, forest protection, and additional over in serving one another. The Hmong pay a good deal of attention to family branches that share constant ancestors. Every of those has some special traits, that are evident in rituals to honor the ancestors and therefore the spirits, and embrace what number incense bowls there are, where they're placed, and the way to pray.

There are variations within the funeral customs of various branches of a family: where the corpse is placed in the house, the way to leave the dead outside before burying, where to find the graves, etc. People in the same kinship line, though don't essentially continually is aware of one another, and though they belong to completely different generations, might still acknowledge one another by these special customs, it’s a taboo for people in the same family line to marry one another, as a result of those kinsmen are very close. The pinnacle of a family tree has abundant authority, is revered and trusted by each one. The Hmong have little patriarchal families. The bride, once she is introduced in the wedding ritual and walks through her husband’s family’s doorway, is alleged to fully belong to the husband’s family line. Husbands and wives are very affectionate, and are continually side by side; they go to the market, work within the terrace, and visit relatives, etc, together.

Beliefs: There are several sacred places within the house that are reserved specifically for worshiping, like an area for ancestors, for house spirits, door spirit, and kitchen spirit. Those men who are ancient healers or ritual specialists have altars to worship the founders of their profession, there are several rituals duding that the strangers are forbidden to run into the Hmong’s houses and villages. When worshiping a spirit to pray for somebody, a good-luck charm is worn.

Education: The Hmong writing though edited just like the national alphabet since the 60s is not any longer widely used these days

Festivals: Whereas the Vietnamese are busy to complete those last days of the year, the Hmong have already started those 1st days of following year. Counting by the Vietnamese Lunar Calendar, the Hmong’s New Year is in December to coincide with their ancient agricultural calendar, and it's regarding one month prior the Vietnamese Tet. Throughout the New Year’s Festival, villages play shuttlecock, swing, flute, and sing and dance at public areas round the villages. The second biggest vacation is that the fifth of May(lunar calendar). Outside these 2, basing on location, some places hold the third of March, thirteenth of June, or seventh of July holidays (of the lunar calendar).

Artistic activities: Teenage prefer to play pan-flutes whereas dancing. Flutes and drums are utilized in funerals, when visiting somebody, or throughout worshipping. Flutes made of leaves and whistles are vehicles for kids to express their feelings.

Source: wil-travel

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