Mythologies of the Sán Chay People

The San Chay people (Vietnamese: Người Sán Chay; also called Sán Chỉ) live in Tuyên Quang Province of the Northeast region of Vietnam, as well as some nearby provinces. The Pinghua language is a form of Chinese language. Their population was 201,398 in 2019. Many live in remote areas, using slash-and-burn agriculture because those areas are not flat enough for paddy rice production. They sing sình cồ (love songs) and celebrate the Slếch thlin mảy festival (New Rice festival). The San Chay people are related with the Shanzi People in Guangxi, China.

The Sanchay are an agricultural people who farm mainly wet rice paddies, but they also cultivate swidden fields which they prepare by the slash-and-burn method. They use the digging stick to make holes for seedlings. Fish catching plays an important role in their economic life as well. With their unique fishing tools, such as hand nets and woven baskets, fish catching supplies the Sanchay food and improves their daily meals. The Sanchay eat mainly ordinary rice. They also drink a lot of wine especially during the Tet holidays or festivals. Men smoke tobacco in a water pipe. Women chew betel. Sanchay women wear the Cham-style skirt and long shirt or tunic which is decorated around the bottom hem and on the back. For daily wear, Sanchay women wear one Cham0style cloth belt, but on special occasions, like the Tet New Year festival, they wear two or three silk belts of different colors. There are many altars in the typical Sanchay house. In addition to worshiping ancestors, they also worship heaven and earth, Tho Cong (Earth Spirit), Ba Mu (Goddess), Than Nong (Agricultural Spirit) and the cattle breeding spirit. The most popular cults worship Ngoc Hoang (Goa in Heaven), Nam Hoa Buddha), Tao Quan (Kitchen Spirit).

The SAN CHAY community consists of two major subgroups: Cao Lan and San Chi, with a total population of more than 162,031 inhabitants. They mainly concentrate in Tuyen Quang1, Bac Can2, Thai Nguyen3, Bac Giang4, Quang Ninh5, Yen Bai6, Lang Son7 and Phu Tho8 Provinces. The language of the Cao Lan is close to that of the Tay and the Nung while that of the San Chi to the Han dialect in Guangdong Province (China). Ancestral worship is the main practice but Is influenced by Taoism and Confucianism. The SAN CHAY mainly cultivate wet rice and agriculture plays an important role. A village comprises of dozens of families from several lineages. Formerly, houses-on-stilts were very popular in the settlements of the San Chay. Now houses are built on the ground. One of the two outer comers of the house is a small compartment for the ancestral altar, regarded as the holiest section in each family. The traditional femae costumes of the Cao Lan are five-panelled long dresses, belts, headscarves and trousers. In the former days, men were dressed like the Tay and Nung. Today, the attire of the SAN CHAY tends to imitate the Kinh or Tay. On ordinary days, women use a cord carrying the knife sheath as a waist belt. On festive occasions, they usually wear 2-3 silk belts of different colors. The SAN CHAY community belongs to various family lineages of several branches each. Each lineage possesses their peculiar habits and customs as well as worship a definite genie. The father is the head of the family. The family of a young man organizes the marriage. After wedding, the wife stays living with her parents and visits her husband’s family now and then. She settles definitively at the husband’s house only after child-bearing.

The San Chay inhabitants belong to various family lineages, each lineage having several branches. The father is the head of the family. After a wedding, the wife lives with her parents and she settles permanently at the husband’s house only after her first childbirth. Ancestral worship is widely practised but is influenced by Buddhism, Taoism, and also Confucianism. San Chay people usually build their houses level to the ground. In fact, the San Chay house resembles the “Buffalo Genie”, the four pillars of the house symbolize the four legs of the buffalo. The paths around the house represent the ribs, and the roof represents the backbone. One of the two corners of the penthouse is usually used as the altar for the ancestors and is regarded as the holiest section of the house. The language of the San Chay is classified with the Tay-Thai Group. The San Chay has many old tales, folk songs, proverbs, and sayings. A particularly popular cultural activity is the “sinh ca”, an alternating love song chant. Their musical instruments include castanets, small copper bells, cymbals, wind instruments, and drums. The modern attire of the San Chay tends to resemble the Kinh or Tay. The San Chay cultivates wet rice and agriculture, which plays an important role in their livelihood.

The Sanchay migrated from China to Vietnam about 400 years ago. The Sanchay are an agricultural people who farm mainly wet rice paddies, but they also cultivate swidden fields which they prepare by the slash-and-burn method. They use the digging stick to make holes for seedlings. Fish catching plays an important role in their economic life as well. With their unique fishing tools, such as hand nets and woven baskets, fish catching supplies the Sanchay food and improves their daily meals. Before the August Revolution, land and fields were private property and social classes were more distinct. Landowners and rich peasants were part of Sanchay society. Depending on the area, the colonial government had some positions such as quan man, tai cha, quan lanh…In addition, there was an autonomous system of governance in the village, one that was voted by villagers and called khan thu. There are a variety of Sanchay lineages, with some of the largest family lineages being the Hoang, Tran, La, Ninh. Both the branches of the family lineages and worshiping cults play important roles in Sanchay community life. Before receiving the bride, the offerings and the clothing of the reception group must be brought together and placed in the middle of the house in order to be blessed by the son of the ritual specialists. On the way to the groom’s house, the bride must walk without wearing shoes. After the marriage, the bride will stay in husband’s house. The matchmaker is respected by the bride and groom and is considered as the couple’s parents, and when the matchmaker dies the couple must take part in her funeral rituals.

The language of the Cao Lan belongs to the Tay-Nung group (of the Tai-Kadai language family) and the language of the San Chi belongs to the Handicrafts groups (of the Sino-Tibetan language family). The Sanchay pay much attention to choosing the land, the direction of the house, and the date and time to build a new house. In addition to telling old tales and reading poems, the Sanchay also like singing. The most popular Sanchay songs are the sing calendar, alternating love songs of young people. There are two kinds of sing calendar: those sung in the village at night and those sung on the way to or at the market. The Sanchay also sing for weddings and sing lullabies. There are many altars in the typical Sanchay house. In addition to worshiping ancestors, they also worship heaven and earth, Tho Cong (Earth Spirit), Ba Mu (Goddess), Than Nong (Agricultural Spirit) and the cattle breeding spirit. The most popular cults worship Ngoc Hoang (Goa in Heaven), Nam Hoa Buddha), Tao Quan (Kitchen Spirit).

The Sán Chay are mainly concentrated in Tuyên Quang, Bắc Cạn and Thái Nguyên provinces. They are also found in scattered groups in certain areas of Yên Bái, Vĩnh Phúc, Phú Thọ, Bác Giang and Quảng Ninh provinces. The Sán Chỉ and Cao Lan speak different languages, but they can, to some extent, understand each other. The language of the Cao Lan is close to that of the Tày-Thái linguistic group, but their love songs (sình ca) and prayers are in Sán Chỉ, a Cantonese dialect. By contrast, in some regions of Sơn Động district (Bắc Giang province) the Sán Chỉ use Cao Lan for many rites and ceremonies. A few decades ago, elderly Sán Chỉ in Bình Liêu and Tiên Yen districts (Quảng Ninh province) still spoke Cao Lan. In th history of this community, bilinguism was therefore a matter of course. Wet rice growers, the Sán Chay adopted a sedentary lifestyle in upland regions. They live in relatively sizeable villages comprising 20-30 families or more. In the past, their houses were mostly on stilts, but they have new begun to build houses level with the ground.

The Sán Chay house is divided into three compartments with two pent houses. Close to the principal column near the entrance, a basket of bran with some joss sticks is placed as dedication to the Genie Trạch Vương (Chiệc Vung) who is believed to take charge of animal husbandry and loot after cattle. Beside the column supporting the roof under the rafters of the last bay is the ancestral altar. In a corner of the penthouse adjoining that bay is the altar to the Boddhisattva, the Jade Emperor or the genie of hearth in accordance with each family's custom.