On every Lunar New Year occasion, the H’mong ethnic community in Hang Kia and Pa Co villages (Mai Chau District, Hoa Binh Province) gather around a pounding mortar to make day cakes.

During ancestral worship rituals, a plate of day cakes is often placed in a significant position on the ancestral altar, symbolizing the gratitude of descendants towards their ancestors.

The H’mong people’s day cake does not contain any filling or spices, allowing the cake to retain its natural sweetness and the fragrant, chewy texture of glutinous rice. The cake itself is colorless and lacks the savory or sweet taste of the chung cake (square glutinous rice cake). However, as one chews and savors it, the distinctive sweetness of the highland people’s rice becomes apparent.

Alongside the traditional dishes of the highland region on the wine table, the day cake is always an enticing food item for anyone present during the special Lunar New Year celebration of the H’mong people in Hang Kia and Pa Co.