Three hearths in the homes of the Khỏ Mú nation.

The Khỏ Mú nation is one of the oldest in Southeast Asia. They inhabit mountainous areas in Laos, Thailand, Burma, China and Vietnam. They usually establish settlements halfway to the top of the mountain. Each village has dozens of houses, in which representatives of several families live.

According to tradition, the various Khỏ Mú clans are named after animals and plants. Their members consider an animal, bird, or plant to be their ancestor and refrain from eating foods made from them.

They attach great importance to the construction of houses. The holiday associated with the completion of construction is the most joyous of all for them. For the occasion, the housewife of the house prepares dishes made from a whole pig to host their neighbors.

The Khỏ Mú live in close ties with nature. They grow rice, corn, yams and cassava in the mountain plots. They engage in a variety of crafts - only weaving is not particularly popular with them, so they mostly buy clothing from the Black Thái.

Since time immemorial, an essential element in Khỏ Mú life has been fire. Burning fires in houses on stilts make the atmosphere in the village very cozy. It is not known when they learned to start a fire by the simplest means, namely with the help of bamboo sticks. According to tradition, the boys have been learning this peculiar art since childhood.

To make a fire, they use a bamboo rain barrel, in which they gouge a small hollow and insert a bamboo stick into it. Around it, they spread dry grass and with quick motions of their hands turn the bamboo, pressing it against the board. As the oldest villagers say, the older the bamboo is, the easier it ignites. The frictional force gives the necessary amount of energy to create the fire.

An old saying goes that "the treasure of the Thais is water, and Khỏ Mú is fire." For the Khỏ Mú people, the home fire is a symbol of the Spirit of Fire, life and rebirth. In any home, hearths may be located in different places, but the order in which they are placed always follows tradition and customs with strict taboo rules.

A traditional Khỏ Mú house consists of three chambers. To the left of the stairs in the first room is the hearth where food is cooked daily. A drying rack for the produce is also set above it. In the room where the first hearth is located, the residents of the house not only prepare food, but also receive guests. The women, sitting around the fire, share their thoughts and feelings with each other.

The second hearth is located in the central room, along with the ancestral altar. This is where only family members are allowed to go; strangers are not allowed in. This room is closely associated with the centuries-old customs of the nation; all important events for the family take place here. During the ritual of ancestor worship, the Khỏ Mú use this separate hearth for food preparation, as they believe their ancestors are pure spirits and must use their own hearth.

The third hearth of the house is located in the third room of the house and is called the "rice cooking hearth," as it is closely related to the tradition of worship of the Spirit of Rice. During the harvest season, the residents of the house bring the first threshed grains to the Spirit as a sign of gratitude for a good harvest. Therefore, all items in this chamber have sacred significance and are not allowed to be taken out of there without good reasons.

Nowadays, many folk customs and traditions, including those of the Khỏ Mú people, are changing as their way of life changes. However, the Khỏ Mú believe in the old way that respect shown to the Spirit of Fire and the Spirit of Rice brings them good fortune and protects them from problems and troubles.